Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an ex-aide to Melania Trump, fired back at former President Donald Trump's criticism that she was "dumped by Melania," stating on Monday, "I quit!"
The former president took aim at Winston Wolkoff after she made a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday to say President Joe Biden seemed to perform badly at CNN's presidential debate because of how he was lit by the stage and TV lights.
"NO ONE HAD TO SAY A WORD. CNN's carefully considered FRAMING & LIGHTING design effectively conveyed the intended perceptions of fragility vs. dominance in visual composition. Biden was filmed in profile, looking pale as a ghost. Trump was filmed straight on, not looking his usual shade of tangerine, but more like marmalade. Biden is a man of honor, integrity, resilience, and resolve. A Trump is a Trump is a Trump," she wrote.
Winston Wolkoff, the former first lady's first hire after Trump's presidential election win in 2016, has been a vocal critic of the Trumps since their relationship soured in 2017.
On June 30, following Winston Wolkoff's assessment of the debate, the former president wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social: "Wolkoff, a total airhead who was dumped by Melania years ago for being a publicity seeking airhead who added nothing, had a love affair with the Fake News, and was a boring, small time loser, now gets into the news again by blaming Crooked Joe Biden's absolutely dismal debate performance on 'lighting' (that's a new one!) and the angle of the podium, which he chose."
The former president added: "No, Biden, the worst President in the history of our Country, lost because I beat him, he is not good on the big stage, and he CHOKED!!! Stephanie should start getting her sad life together, perhaps by working for Crooked Joe after he leaves the White House and our Country begins to recover from the tremendous damage he has caused!"
In response to Trump's criticism, Winston Wolkoff then fired back at his claims.
"I must have hit a nerve! Donald J. Trump was angry at my debate post below & spewed his disdain on Truth...Wow! I find it baffling & shocking Trump hired 'an airhead' to produce 18 Trump inaugural events acting as Melania's senior advisor....'Airhead,' I'm not. Melania didn't have the chance to 'dump me.' I QUIT! (And have the letter to prove it!)," she wrote on X on Monday. "That's when the WH propaganda machine swung into full gear with the New York Times casting me as the cover girl to Trumps inauguration scandal coverup."
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's spokesperson and Winston Wolkoff via email for comment.
The relationship between the Trumps and Winston Wolkoff became strained after she was accused of financially benefiting from the 2017 presidential inauguration to the tune of $26 million by working as a contractor.
She denied the claims, saying she was instead paid a fee of $1.6 million and that the Trumps made her a scapegoat during the controversy.
The back-and-forth between Winston Wolkoff and the former president comes after a CNN poll following Thursday night's debate found that 67 percent of debate watchers said Trump won the debate, compared to 33 percent that sided with Biden. The poll found that ahead of the debate, 55 percent of respondents believed Trump would better perform in the debate, compared to 45 percent that sided with Biden.
Biden's debate performance raised fresh concerns about his age and mental acuity as the 81-year-old incumbent rambled through several talking points. A Biden aide, meanwhile, told Newsweek late Thursday night that the president was battling a cold during the debate.
Biden's debate performance has sparked concerns among some members of the Democratic Party about his ability to serve a second term in the White House and consider replacing him as its nominee. However, there's no indication of who would be proposed as a candidate and Biden's campaign has not signaled stepping down.
Biden and Trump are expected to face off in a second debate on September 10, which will be hosted by ABC News.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more
