Melania Trump Reportedly Complained That Ivanka Competed With Her For Donald’s Attention
Melania Trump reportedly has a bit of a rivalry going with one of her stepdaughters. Cheyenne Roundtee of The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that the first lady was recorded complaining about her husband and his adult children, but chief among those who drew her ire was Ivanka.
Earlier this week, reports began surfacing about several recorded conversations between Melania and a former friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. Wolkoff took those recordings and included them in a book, titled Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, set to be published on September 1.
Roundtee says a source revealed the content of some of the recordings and that Ivanka featured prominently in her complaints. At the heart of the issue was a burgeoning rivalry between the two women, who were both reportedly battling for Donald Trump’s affection and attention.
Melania reportedly said her stepdaughter often acted as though she knew better than her about everything. That included knowing more about being the first lady.
There was also apparently some anger over the eldest daughter wanting to “involve herself in everything.”
The source is said to have also made it clear there was “no warmth” between the two. Melania felt as though she wasn’t getting the respect she deserved. She also felt that there was always a fight over the “spotlight” and some overstepping of boundaries.
It’s also said that Melania told her former friend that only her husband was elected president of the United States, but the entire family behaved as if they, too, won an election.
Roundtee pointed out that this is far from the first time there have been rumors of a tense relationship inside the extended family. Things are said to have been especially standoffish between the president’s eldest daughter and third wife.
In regard to the reports that the tapes paint the family’s relationships in a negative light, the White House has been denying the comments entirely. Stephanie Grisham, a spokesperson in the administration, told The Daily Mail she’d never heard of any kind of jousting and infighting that is reported to have gone on in the upcoming book.
When pressed on whether Melania routinely talks about her feelings regarding her husband and any or all of his children from previous marriages, Grisham responded the clan is “close-knit.” She went on to say that, of course, her boss has made mention of dealings with the Trumps, but it’s always been in a warm manner.