The 2024 presidential election is about "choice" and women will decide the next commander-in-chief, says Melania Trump's former aide and friend.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was formerly an aide and close confidant of the ex-first lady. Winston Wolkoff, who began her career in the New York arts and fashion world, developed a friendly rapport with Melania years before Donald Trump entered the political arena. She was Melania's first hire after her husband's 2016 election victory.
Years of cordiality eventually dissipated following reports that Winston Wolkoff benefited handsomely as a contractor for the 2017 inauguration, leading to her termination even though she refuted that she personally received tens of millions of dollars.
Her 2020 book Melania and Me detailed the pair's budding relationship and eventual split—leading to years of criticism of Melania amid her purported subservience to Donald Trump and covering up "nefarious" family activities.
"CHOICE is STILL a part of YOUR life. CHOICE is still on the 2024 ballot," Winston Wolkoff wrote Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. "If you vote for Donald Trump ALL choice will be gone just like WOMEN's choice!"
Winston Wolkoff references abortion rights and Donald Trump's role in selecting three U.S. Supreme Court judges who tilted the court in favor of conservatives, eventually overturning the decades-long Roe v. Wade and giving states control in enacting their own reproductive laws.
The overturning of Roe at a federal level in the summer of 2022 became a major political issue in that year's midterms, subduing the "red wave" Republicans aspired for but never came to fruition.
"Donald Trump brags, 'I was able to kill Roe v. Wade,' embracing his role in ending the half-century precedent that protected abortion rights nationwide," Winston Wolkoff wrote. "Donald Trump brags, 'I want to be a dictator for one day.'
"You can either vote for the 81-year-old Democrat in 2024 and vote for whoever you want again in 2028 or you can vote for the 77-year-old Republican and then ... NEVER VOTE AGAIN!"
Newsweek reached out to Donald Trump via email and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff via X for comment.
While Trump has taken credit for the national abortion ban, he has also been consistently wary about making it a major issue within his campaign. He has taken heat from conservative anti-abortion groups for giving states control, previously calling political opponent Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' six-week heartbeat bill a "terrible mistake."
Trump, who easily defeated DeSantis and Nikki Haley and claimed more than double the margin of victory in the Iowa Caucuses, received 44 percent of support from those who oppose a national ban on most or all abortions.
However, 55 percent of Iowans who still want a national ban also voted for him.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
