What Donald and Melania Trump’s Future Could Look Like, According to Ex-Aide

According to a former aide of Melania Trump, the former first lady will remain a minor player in the 2024 presidential campaign, but she and Donald Trump will probably never separate. In her opinion, the former president's wife will be less visible after her husband's conviction in the criminal hush money trial. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff said on the MeidasTouch podcast that Melania's actions are always deliberate.

Wolkoff told the host Ben Meiselas, "[Donald Trump] will continue to move forward. His base doesn’t need her there. But as far as Melania is concerned, she’s going to keep her head low. She’s going to only do what she wants to do. She and Donald, I do not believe, are ever, ever going to part ways." She also added, "[Melania] does not plan on putting herself in a position where she’s going to be the object of conversation unnecessarily." For almost 15 years, Wolkoff was friends with Melania. She assisted the Trumps during the 2017 inauguration and remained an unpaid advisor thereafter. 

The ex-BFF also shed some insight on Barron Trump's appointment as a delegate from Florida to the Republican National Convention during the podcast. Wolkoff revealed, "Barron's involvement in the Trump political arena is one that I know he and Melania stayed away from for many reasons. He being put on the frontline that way, if it was going to be the case, Melania would have supported it 100% vocally. I knew she would never allow that." The Florida Republican Party selected Barron to serve as a delegate to the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC), where Donald will formally be nominated as the Republican nominee for president in July, but Barron's first venture into politics never even got off the ground.

Wolkoff also contributed to The Daily Beast last month with a piece that analyzed the mechanics of the former president's and his wife's relationship. She revealed,  "[T]he truth is Melania knows and supports Donald and his viewpoints. When he goes full brass knuckles on his supposed enemies, she’s often encouraging him to aggressively go for it. She’s his biggest cheerleader." The ex-aide even called her the master of 'complicity' and added, "She knows exactly who she married and lives by the same principles. She’s a ruthless survivor and opportunist — willing to do whatever it takes to resort to any means necessary for self-preservation."

Melania's actions stand out even when compared to other politicians who have depended on their wives. After all, in an effort to win over female voters, some male politicians even consult their spouses. In order to give voters a better idea of the candidate's personality outside of politics, candidates may also bring their wives to events. For instance, before Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stopped his candidacy effort, his wife Casey DeSantis accompanied him on his travels, offered him interviews, and organized a group called Mamas for DeSantis during this year's GOP primary. Dr. Apoorva Ramaswamy, who is married to Vivek Ramaswamy, was also on the campaign trail; she and her two young children made frequent appearances where they spoke for family values.

On the other hand, it is worth noting that the presumed Republican presidential candidate did not have the former first lady by his side on any of the days of his over-month-long hush money trial in New York. His statements at Trump Tower the day after his guilty conviction and last month's proceedings were both missed by her. Not only that, but she skipped out on Trump's 78th birthday celebration on June 14th and all of his campaign events in the last several months.