A new book by Melania Trump’s former close friend paints her as much like her husband: dishonest, backstabbing and potentially involved in criminal activity. But Laura Ingraham ignored all that and suggested Melania will be a great Trump campaign asset with women voters.
As I wrote in a post for Crooks and Liars, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has written a tell-all book, called "Melania and Me," that spills a lot of beans about her former BFF. Among other things, Winston Wolkoff details how her ex-friend betrayed her and dishonestly tried to make her the fall guy when questions arose about the finances of the Trump inaugural committee. Winston Wolkoff says she has been working with three different criminal investigations into the inaugural committee spending.
The book also portrays Melania Trump as stunningly callous toward immigrant children separated from their parents. She seemed to care more about the unfavorable media coverage than the children. From The New York Times:
In a phone call with Wolkoff, [Trump] allegedly said: “They’re not with their parents, and it’s sad. But the patrols told me the kids say, ‘Wow, I get a bed? I will have a cabinet for my clothes?’ It’s more than they have in their own country, where they sleep on the floor.”
But on Fox News, Laura Ingraham and Donald Trump turned Melania into some kind of female icon:
INGRAHAM: Melania - you mentioned the first lady - she got rave reviews for her speech, so many of the speeches at the RNC. Are we going to be seeing more of her on the campaign trail?
TRUMP: Yes.
INGRAHAM: Because I know a lot of women, especially in Middle America, are desperate to still get to know her better.
TRUMP: And they like her. And they love her style, her class, her grace. I thought she gave an incredible speech. And you have to understand it's not her first language. How many people could come over and make a speech to the world?
INGRAHAM: Not I.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: No, think of it. When you think of it, she did an incredible job.
INGRAHAM: Will we see her on the campaign trail?
TRUMP: Yes, she will be very much involved. She wants to - she wants to see this be a victory.
This interview was recorded on August 31, 2020. Details from Winston Wolkoff’s book was out days before.
Oh, and Lordy, Winston Wolkoff has tapes!
You can watch it below, from the September 1, 2020 The Ingraham Angle.
In any case, the fact that she read her speech off a teleprompter weakens any claim that she did something extraordinary.
