A revealing account by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, former close confidante to Melania Trump, sheds light on the tense relationship between the First Lady and Ivanka Trump. In her 2020 memoir, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady, Wolkoff recalls a particularly revealing text message Melania allegedly sent her about Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner.
“You know how they are snakes,” Melania Trump reportedly wrote in the six-word text, offering a glimpse into the fractured dynamics between the First Lady and the president’s eldest daughter. The memoir, which details the tumultuous relationship between the two women, also uncovers a coordinated effort by Melania to minimize Ivanka’s visibility during Donald Trump’s 2016 inauguration.
According to Wolkoff, this plan called ‘Operation Block Ivanka’ was designed to ensure Ivanka would not steal the spotlight on her father’s big day. Wolkoff recounts how they strategically planned where family members would sit and stand during the inauguration, stating, ‘We were able to figure out whose face would be visible when Donald and Melania sat in their seats, and then when the family stood with Chief Justice John Roberts for Donald to take the oath of office.’ Reported by Daily Mail.
If Ivanka were not on the aisle, her face would be hidden while she was seated.” Wolkoff further elaborated, “For the standing part, we put Barron [Trump] between Donald and Melania and made sure that Don [Trump] Jr. stood next to Melania, not Ivanka… Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty. Melania was in on this mission.
But in our minds, Ivanka shouldn’t have made herself the center of attention in her father’s inauguration.” Despite the petty nature of the operation, Melania reportedly sent another text to Wolkoff, this time with a photo of Sasha and Malia Obama with their parents during Barack Obama’s swearing-in. “FYI regarding the swearing-in. It is nice to have family with him for this special moment,” Melania wrote.
In Melania’s 2024 memoir, Melania, she reflected on her relationships with Donald Trump’s children, acknowledging her stepchildren’s individuality and her role as a supportive figure. “My approach to building relationships with Donald’s children has always been grounded in love and respect,” she wrote. “While I may not agree with every opinion or choice expressed by Donald’s grown children, nor do I align with all of Donald’s decisions, I acknowledge that different viewpoints are a natural aspect of human relationships.”
Melania emphasized the importance of respecting each family member’s space, stating that “being possessive” isn’t conducive to a healthy family dynamic, especially in the political sphere. Donald and Melania share a son, Barron, while the president has three grown children from his late ex-wife, Ivana Trump, and one from his ex-wife, Marla Maples.