Melania Trump, a former model and the third wife of United States President Donald Trump, has always been a reserved figure, with very little public appearances and speeches or even scheduling her husband's events in the White House. But a very few may be aware of her power struggle with the President's First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her constant presence in wanting to approve venues and guest lists, elbowing the First Lady's way to take the backseat.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania's former senior adviser and close friend, in her new book "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady," has described the latter as someone who often competed for influence in the White House with Ivanka Trump.
Wolkoff reveals that Melania wanted to block Ivanka's face from appearing in photos of Donald Trump taking the oath of office, in a maneuver dubbed "Operation Block Ivanka." To keep her face out of those iconic special moments of family photoshoots, the author writes in Melania's words, "To do this I needed to know exactly where the family would be seated, and the camera angles."
But when it comes to her husband, from the beginning, Wolkoff says as for Donald's reported infidelities, particularly with ex-porn stars and Playboy models, Melania seems nonplussed. And it is evident that she has no other way out of the relationship.
"I know who I married," Wolkoff quoted the first lady as saying in her book.
With Ivanka and her minions who "relentless" make efforts to "usurp" office space from Melania, and in poaching prospective staff, as "snakes", the latter would be left miserable unapologetically and compete for influence amid a mechanical family in the White House.
Wolkoff writes Melania and Donald are not fans of Valentine's Day either or of being very sentimental towards each other. She says she never remembers Melania telling her that her husband had sent her flowers or taken her out for Valentine's Day. She also never mentioned planning a sweet surprise for Donald either. Melania once texted her, "Don't like Valentine's Day. So commercial" and later texted, "Donald thinks the same way. We don't care about Valentine's Day."
And probably so is the reason why Melania doesn't seem to place a high importance on other people's wants and desires, according to the book. Wolkoff says that she has sometimes said over the years: "Pleasing anyone else is not my priority!"
The author also said that she wished she had Melania's confidence and her ability to put herself first without thinking much of others. Its only her son Barron, for whom she get tensed and possessive among such competitiveness, advising Wolkoff the boy was strong and would be fine.
