An interview between The View's Meghan McCain and the author of a new tell-all book about First Lady Melania Trump became contentious today when McCain's line of questioning verged into "gotcha" territory.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend of the First Lady who worked for her in the White House, recently wrote a book about her experiences with Trump, titled Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady.
Included in the book are details of the legal ramifications Wolkoff faced when investigations into the Trumps' spending on the President's 2017 inauguration began and they attempted to implicate Wolkoff.
Despite these details, McCain began the interview with an attempt to cast Wolkoff as an unethical interloper.
“These are the people behind closed doors running our country and they are not doing it in your best interest."
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and adviser of the first lady, explains why she wrote her book about her time with Melania Trump. https://t.co/9fvU7VKkvL pic.twitter.com/VAxPSB066Y
— The View (@TheView) September 9, 2020
McCain's opened not with a question, but rather a castigation of Wolkoff.
"You recently revealed you secretly recorded your conversations with Melania. I don't like tell-all books like this. I think they're in bad taste, and generally, I think secretly recording your friend and selling [the] contents for profit certainly ups the ante, and seems not only unethical but just gross."
McCain then moved on to her first question, which was an interrogatively worded accusation.
"The first lady's office says you're, quote, just out for revenge, given all the damaging details you've chosen to share. Can you honestly just sit here and tell me that's not true?"
McCain continued by stating how her mother, Cindy McCain, would feel if her assistant wrote something similar to Wolkoff's book before finally allowing Wolkoff to answer the question.
After thanking McCain for the opportunity to clarify why and how she produced the book, Wolkoff vigorously disputed McCain's characterization.
"I did not write this book for money; I did not take any advance for this. This was for me to be able to tell the true story and not be anonymous anymore. I'm on the record."
Wolkoff continued by explaining that she only began recording Melania Trump after the Trumps began to pin the inauguration's budgetary discrepancies on her, accusations she says have had grave consequences for her reputation.
"All the stories that crushed me, burned me, and the White House propaganda machine made up about me that made headlines around the world, broke me, my integrity; my life literally went into shatters because of exactly what you are talking about."
Wolkoff also dismissed McCain's accusations of betrayal, clarifying that her friendship with Melania Trump had already ended by the time she began recording their conversations due to the accusations the Trumps levied against her.
"I didn't press record on a friend. I pressed record after I was accused of a crime and I was thrown under the bus and I was told by my friend, 'I'm sorry, this is the way it has to be.' That's when I pressed record."
As for her motive in writing the book, Wolkoff clarified that she wanted the American people to know who the Trumps really are.
On Twitter, most people were firmly on Wolkoff's side.
Melania threw her “friend" under the bus. I'm just surprised that Stephanie didn't start recording her sooner.
— Don't call me Shirley (@sftballwife) September 9, 2020
Stephanie was betrayed by Melania and the entire inauguration team. READ THE BOOK MEAGHAN!
— vanceymom (@pisces1850) September 9, 2020
@SWWCreative
so glad you put the embarassingly self-righteous @MeghanMcCain in her place. https://t.co/iH7yU2UTF4
— Starrider (@StarriderMedia) September 9, 2020
So Stephanie Winston Wolkoff had a great response to what @MeghanMcCain asked her, she wants AMERICA to know the FIRST F**KED family since so many believe #45 makes no mistakes. @TheView I would love for her to come back. pic.twitter.com/pfrktvzRea
— IG:DivoJB (@DivoJB) September 9, 2020
I got Stephanie's book a couple days ago and I've finally had a chance to start reading it. I find her smart and very loyal to Melania up until the point she was being accused of crimes. She had to record conversations to defend herself like any smart person would. Stay strong!
— JoJo (@LovetoLiberals) September 9, 2020
And many people expressed their aggravation with McCain, both in this interview and in general.
Meghan found her venom again. And as usual, Meghan missed the entire point.
Where was her venom for her "friend", Sarah, yesterday? https://t.co/HVSgGJH41i
— Maryanne Mak (@MakMaryanne) September 9, 2020
Can we get McCain off the View? I used to like her but she's a bit of a drag now. I lost my father too but I don't make a career out of memorializing him.
— ATTAboy (@RobertH39503232) September 9, 2020
Awful how ill-prepared @MeghanMcCain was for t/facts that had already been presented last week by Wolkoff! @ABC @TheView
The View's Meghan McCain rips Melania Trump's friend over tell-all book — and then gets patiently schooled - https://t.co/MWbpEBJcSN
— Mili Boreham - Resistance is Key! (@BorehamSearch) September 9, 2020
Meghan McCain was incredibly rude to her and was basically making her defend herself. She hadn't lived Ms. Wolkoff's life; so who is she to judge her? She does this to most people who write books about the Trumps.
She's ready to pop;so hopefully she goes on maternity leave soon. https://t.co/iJYv6mnquU
— 🌊Eyes Wide Open 🔥 (@Texasblaze69) September 9, 2020
I noticed @MeghanMcCain did not send out a thank you tweet to Ms. Wolkoff for 'being brave' for joining the table, as she did grifter and proven liar SS. Does @theview condone her speaking for, and snubbing guests of the show, as she chooses?
— Rachel James (@RaeGeJames) September 9, 2020
Meghan McCain went on a rant calling this woman's actions 'gross' and asked whether Stephanie had thought about the impact it would have on the Trumps as a family.
Stephanie explained she did this, because the Trumps called her a criminal and a liar.
Megs is an uninformed pleb. https://t.co/ZnXyM1O4KS
— Pantalaimon Silvertongue 🏳️🌈💙🌊 (@PantalaimonSil1) September 9, 2020
Wolkoff also stated that, in regards to the accusations she has made against the Trumps, she has "proof" and is willing to "stand by every single word."