Melania Trump Is 'Partner in Crime' to Donald Trump, Former Adviser Warns

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff issued scathing statements toward her former boss on Friday after former first lady Melania Trump delivered a speech at a citizenship ceremony.

Winston Wolkoff, who worked for Melania Trump as a senior adviser during the first year of the Trump administration, said during an appearance on CNN NewsNight that the speech at the National Archives Naturalization Ceremony on Friday was "really deceptive, almost deceitful."

When asked by CNN host Abby Phillip whether the former first lady would be making increased appearances in the coming months to help Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, Winston Wolkoff said, "I do feel strongly that Melania Trump isn't going anywhere. I believe that Melania will stay by Donald's side. Throughout all of this, she is his partner in crime."

Melania Trump's speech on Friday was in front of 25 immigrants from 25 different nations who were sworn in as new United States citizens. During her address, she praised them "for every step you took, every obstacle you overcome, and every sacrifice you made" to obtain citizenship.

"Unfortunately, I find it to be really deceptive, almost deceitful, and quite honestly I find Melania Trump's words to be lacking of any real meaning," Winston Wolkoff added on CNN NewsNight. "And it's unfortunate because she had an opportunity as the first lady of the United States to make a difference, and she didn't at all."

In response to her appearance at the event, Melania Trump's critics have noted her husband's continued promises to crack down on U.S. immigration policies if he's reelected as president in 2024. Trump is currently the frontrunner in the GOP presidential primary.

Newsweek reached out to Melania Trump's press team via form submission for additional comments.

Winston Wolkoff also claimed on Friday that Melania Trump is "exactly like Donald" when it comes to showmanship and publicity.

"Unfortunately, people keep giving her this out, this reason to believe that Melania should be freed from Donald, but Melania is complicit," she told Phillip. "Melania is, you know, side by side with the showmanship and she is exactly like Donald, just, unfortunately, in a skirt and high heels, and showing up today was just another way for her to have some camera time."

In February 2018, Melania Trump cut ties Winston Wolkoff after news broke that her event planning company, WIS Media Partners, received $26 million to help coordinate Donald Trump's inauguration.

In Winston Wolkoff's 2020 "tell-all" book titled, Melania and Me, she said she resigned because she was scapegoated by the Trump administration. She also has denied claims that she personally received $26 million.

The former first lady is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Slovenia. She moved to the U.S. to pursue a modeling career in 1996 and married Donald Trump in 2005.

According to a report by The Washington Post in 2018, she received a green card in 2001 by obtaining a visa that is reserved for "individuals with extraordinary ability," also known as the "Einstein visa." She was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in 2006, shortly after the birth of her and Trump's son, Barron.

"My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens," she told those in attendance Friday. "Then, of course, there are nuances of understanding the United States immigration laws and the complex legal language contained therein. I was very devoted, but I certainly was not an attorney."

On Saturday, Melania Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter, about Friday's event:

"I was honored to receive the invitation to participate in the Naturalization Ceremony on Bill of Rights Day. I can personally relate to the wave of emotions experienced by the individuals and their families in yesterday's ceremony," she wrote.

When reached for comment Saturday afternoon on X, Winston Wolkoff told Newsweek that Melania Trump should open up more about her personal immigration experience.

"If Melania Trump cared about America, immigration and citizenship then she would share the details of how she secured her status obtaining a worker visa in NYC early in her modeling career," Winston Wolkoff said.

However, she doesn't believe that will occur.

"Melania will never share the details of her personal experiences about anything, let alone her immigration," she added.

Update 12/16/23, 5:32 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and with comment from Winston Wolkoff.