Melania Trump's Campaign Excuse Branded 'Pathetic' By Former Aide: 'Melania Lied!'

Melania Trump's former aide, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, has slammed the reported reason she has been absent from the campaign trail as "pathetic."

Wolkoff was Melania's close confidant and first hire as first lady in 2016, but their relationship fell apart, and the ex-aide had to leave the White House in 2018.

The whole incident comes after an anonymous source told The Independent last Saturday that the reason Melania has been absent from her husband, Trump's campaign trail was because she had been "betrayed by her staff" during her first White House residency.

The source cited the 2020 book "Melania and Me," by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania's supposed former "best friend" and her first hire following Trump's 2016 election win.

That "excuse" apparently didn't sit well with Wolkoff, who has now taken to X (formerly Twitter) to slam it as "pathetic."

"The AUDACITY!" Wolkoff wrote. "For any human being to make EXCUSES for Melania Trump not campaigning with Donald because she 'felt betrayed by her staff' is PATHETIC."

"Melania LIED & watched the media & her WH CRUCIFY me & then she used her DOJ to try and SILENCE me," she added. "EVIL!"

According to CNN, a source shared that the role the Slovenian-born former model would plan in her husband's campaign is still up in the air and undecided.

The news outlet reported that Melania doesn't have a ramped-up role just yet but cautioned that she can always decide to hit the trail on her own accord.

"She'll definitely have a role, but in terms of what that is, I don't know," a source close to the Trump campaign said. "It is her decision on how much or how little she will be campaigning."

"She is very selective and methodical in what she wants to do and how she presents herself," the insider noted. "She is very decisive with these things and knows they have a lot of intended and unintended consequences."

The former first lady recently made a rare appearance alongside the presumptive Republican Party nominee to cast their ballot in the Florida presidential primary.

She wore dark sunglasses and a long white dress for the event as she stood by the former president's side while he took questions from journalists.

Melania then hinted at a return to politics when asked if she would be joining her husband on the campaign trail amid his re-election bid.

"Stay tuned," she said with a smile.

Prior to the Florida outing, Melani had been absent from the spotlight since Trump launched his campaign in November 2022.

She was absent from his election night watch party last month at their Mar-a-Lago resort and has also not appeared by his side at any of his many court appearances.

Melania and Trump were recently photographed at Habba's 40th birthday bash on Saturday night. The couple appeared in good spirits as they posed beside the birthday girl.

The former first lady looked stunning in a black dress with ruffles, while Trump had on his usual suit and a tie with stripe patterns.

Trump's firebrand lawyer took a more simplistic route for her special day as she donned a shimmering strapless jumpsuit. She was spotted posing close to a display of Hermes gift bags featuring the luxury brand's iconic orange and brown color scheme and the words "Habba Nice 40th Birthday."

The guest list reportedly included Trump's sons, Eric and Don Jr., and their partners, Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle.

The couple recently garnered the ire of fans on X for their family dinner tradition. Social media users mocked them for their grand entrance to events hosted at their home after videos of their Easter celebration went viral online.

The former First Lady hosted an Easter gathering at their sprawling Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Videos of her arrival with her son Barron and her father, Viktor Knavs, show them flanked by supporters as they smiled and waved to people.

One tweet claimed that the family was "super cringe" for entering an event at their home in such a lavish way.

Another user wrote on X, "I'm going to start lining up friends in my living room to applaud me as I make my way to the fridge."

Other people criticized Trump for the fanfare he received just for going to dinner. A person penned, "Trump arrives at Mar a Lago Easter dinner to cheer and adulation, his safe zone."

"I've read that when Trump goes to dinner at Mar-a-Lago, diners who are there give him a standing ovation. That's his empty future. Basking in applause from people eating supper. A well-deserved fall to *he doesn't matter anymore,*" another individual wrote.