Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and senior adviser to first lady Melania Trump, gave some of her covertly recorded phone conversations to CNN, and Anderson Cooper played excerpts on his show Thursday night.
The recordings include one, written about in Winston Wolkoff's new book, where Trump says the migrant children separated from their parents under her husband's policies are happy they have beds. But a new recording has the first lady using NSFW language to complain about people blaming her for child separation and other unpopular Trump policies, and having to decorate the White House for Christmas.
"They say I'm complicit. I'm the same like him, I support him, I don't say enough, I don't do enough where I am," Trump said in the July 2018 recording. "I'm working ... my ass off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f--k about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right? ... Okay, and then I do it and I say that I'm working on Christmas and planning for the Christmas and they said, 'Oh, what about the children that they were separated?' Give me a f---ing break."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump's chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, slammed Winston Wolkoff in a statement to CNN: "Secretly taping the first lady and willfully breaking an NDA to publish a salacious book is a clear attempt at relevance."
President Trump has made saying "Merry Christmas" a big part of his pitch to conservative Christian supporters. So some people trolled the first couple for Melania Trump's newly unveiled opinion about Christmas decorations. "As a Catholic, I resent when Donald Trump and his family mock Christians and look down on our faith," tweeted Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). "We believe Christmas is the day Christ was born, and we are not 'hustlers' as Trump has called us. I urge the president and first lady to stop disrespecting Christians."
Others, like Obama White House alumnus Patrick Dillon, suggested Melania had a point. Peter Weber
-
Frauds: ‘fantastically stylish’ crime heist caper is a ‘triumph’The Week Recommends Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker play a pair of ex-cons planning one last job
-
The struggles of Aston MartinIn the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rightsThe Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU partySpeed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
UK, 3 Western allies recognize Palestinian stateSpeed Read Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the state of Palestine
