Michael Wolff cautions that First Lady Melania Trump’s recent public moves — including a Mother’s Day column and a remark distancing herself from Jeffrey Epstein — have alarmed some in the White House. Readers reacted coolly to the Post essay, and Wolff, joined by co-host Joanna Coles, criticized both the writing and the newspaper’s decision to publish it. White House communications director Steven Cheung has previously issued a profane rebuttal of Wolff. Wolff warned that the timing of Melania’s interventions could carry political risk for President Trump.
Michael Wolff: Melania Trump’s Recent Moves Raise Alarm in the White House
Melania's latest moves have many questioning her motives, the author Michael Wolff claims. / Suzanne Plunkett / REUTERS
Author and longtime Trump biographer Michael Wolff warned that First Lady Melania Trump’s recent public actions may be creating headaches for the White House.
Wolff singled out a Mother’s Day column Melania wrote for The Washington Post, in which she described mothers as “the foundation” of American democracy and “the first teachers of empathy, aspiration, and discipline.” He suggested on The Daily Beast podcast Inside Trump’s Head that the essay could be read as a sign she is moving, publicly, away from her husband.
A usually private Melania has been very public in the last few weeks. / Samir Hussein / via REUTERS
Wolff also pointed to an earlier, unexpected public remark in which Melania distanced herself from Jeffrey Epstein as another example that fueled speculation about her intentions.
Reaction among Washington Post readers appeared cool. One of the column’s most-liked comments noted that Melania said she wanted to “think beyond the traditional responsibilities of the East Wing,” adding that the White House East Wing had been demolished in October — a reader observation referenced during coverage of the piece. Another widely liked response read: “The Washington Post was once a great newspaper and my reliable companion every morning. Now it’s… this.”
Wolff alleged that the Trump White House is questioning Melania's motives. / Kylie Cooper / REUTERS
“I mean, in the times that she has come out, that has not been good for them,” Wolff said on the podcast. “The Epstein thing, drawing attention to that. Her just peculiar attitude about everything... her strategic absences. This is not good for them, and it’s not necessarily controllable for them.”
Neither The Washington Post nor the White House responded to The Daily Beast’s request for comment about the column and surrounding speculation. Previously, White House communications director Steven Cheung issued a blunt rebuttal of Wolff, calling him a “lying sack of s--t” and accusing him of fabricating stories from a “sick and warped imagination.”
Wolff’s podcast co-host Joanna Coles also criticized the column’s writing, saying the piece felt lazy and could have been crafted more powerfully by any experienced ghostwriter or speechwriter. Coles asked why The Washington Post would publish a first-lady essay she found so underwhelming; Wolff in turn questioned the paper’s editorial judgment.
Wolff emphasized that the key question is timing: why is Melania taking these public steps now? He warned that, depending on motive and momentum, her actions could pose political risks for President Trump.
Help us improve.
