I just finished reading Melania and Me.

[madaboutharry]

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has a story to tell.

First of all, there is a cabal of people in Trump’s orbit who outright stole $80,000,000 in donations that were solicited for the inauguration. One day, in the not to distant future, we are going to find out who has that money.

Secondly, Ivanka isn’t just a snake. She is a viper. She is a heartless, amoral, and despicable person, just like her dad.

Thirdly, “Crown Prince” Jared is an asshole and hopefully will end up in jail.

And last but not least, Melania Trump is Donald Trump in a dress. She is exactly like him, down to the last blood vessel. Don’t harbor one positive thought for the Queen of Grifters, a user, and a liar.
Melania is a shallow and callous lowlife with a lot of money and an imperial sense of entitlement. She is as much a pig as the rest of her family.

I believe every word Ms. Wolkoff wrote in her book.

[Me.]

1. I Remember Reading Somewhere That Ivanka Pocketed 20 Million

and there is an investigation staring

[Rebl2]

44. I seem

to remember that as well

[Escurumbele]

51. Here is a Rolling Stone article that can answer your question

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/ivanka-trump-inaugural-investigation-769774/

[Me.]

52. Thank you

[MontanaMama]

2. Thanks for the review.

I can’t bring myself to read the book...one thing is for sure...I don’t feel one ounce of empathy for Mrs. tRump. She’s a birther. She’s a horrid person. I hope she gets all the karma she has coming to her.

[yuiyoshida]

82. THEY all need to end up in prison

Some day soon hopefully.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. It was an interesting book.

Nothing was especially surprising - we already knew that family was a nest of vipers - but I was kind of intrigued that the author was so taken with Melania in the first place. She seemed to genuinely believe Melania was a nice person and was really her friend, when it was obvious to anyone reading about even her early relationship with her that Melania has always been all about Melania and her own image and doesn't give a crap about anyone else. She's just like her heinous husband, only with a less offensive façade. Wolkoff was shocked and hurt when she was thrown under the bus over the inauguration finances and Melania did nothing to help her - but how did she not see it coming? She saw that Trump was a pig from the beginning, but she couldn't seem to believe that Melania was no better until she finally felt the dagger in her back.

[madaboutharry]

10. I think sometimes people deep down know

that they trust, love, believe in someone who is not a good or decent person. It is hard to accept it because it reflects on your own judgment.

Stephanie Wolkoff kept wanting to believe that Melania was the person she wanted her to be, which of course Melania could never be because she is a selfish narcissistic backstabber.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. I think that's probably what happened.

Wolkoff met Melania before she married Trump, back when she was involved in event planning and fashion-related work. I think she got sucked in by Melania's ability to act like she is kind and thoughtful (at least until you need her help; then she just sends you a card or flowers if you're lucky). It's probably true that Wolkoff was invested in their relationship, had become almost fanatically devoted to her, and just couldn't face the truth that Melania is a cold-blooded user until it was too late.

[pnwmom]

14. Narcissists often marry other narcissists, so she's just like him. And unfortunately,

when it is to the narcissist's benefit, they can be very charming -- at least to the unaware.

[PatSeg]

19. I think that most people have had friends

much like Melania, someone who is very good at reeling people in with their charm and charisma, often feigning interest in our lives, but rarely sharing their own. Friends who ask favors, but rarely reciprocate. Friends who make promises easily, but only fulfill them if it is convenient. Such people are really good at what they do and it can take a long time before we realize we've been used.

I'm still reading the book and I find myself thinking, "What's wrong with you? Just leave these people and go back to your family." I am at a point in the story where Wolkoff still has not been given a contract, hasn't been reimbursed for her many expenses, and hasn't even received a salary.

Melania collects people who suit her purposes and if they leave, she just replaces them. She is a more civilized and more presentable version of her husband. Underneath she is just another narcissist in a pool of narcissists.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

49. I kept mentally yelling "Get out! Get out!"

like in the movie, where they take you over and make you work for them.

[PatSeg]

56. You too?

Or like being the normal person surrounded by Pod People or Stepford Wives. "Get out, escape while you can!"

I'm also getting this overview that Melania behaves like a teenager with all her "kiss-kiss", "Love you", and cutesy little emojis (really loves those hearts), not to mention her fixation with social media. The First Lady of the United States is a forty-something adolescent and she would qualify as one of the "Mean Girls". Then the ongoing feud with Ivanka (the Meaner Girl) is appalling. This is all just a game to these superficial creatures.

I hope I live long enough to see the White House occupied by mature, respectful adults again.

[moonscape]

59. Replaces them with other bodies? Neither of them

have any actual friends do they?

[PatSeg]

61. No, they don't

I've often said that about Donald Trump, but it appears to be true of his wife as well, though she's much better at faking it than he is -
"Kiss-kiss, Love You, XOXOXO," and of course, lots and lots of heart emojis.

They just use people, then cast them aside when they no longer serve their purpose. Also, Melania is much like her cheap husband in that she often doesn't reimburse people for services or goods received, as if it is some kind of profound privilege to serve these selfish fools. They shouldn't expect monetary compensation as well.

F. Scott Fitzgerald summed up people like Donald and Melania very well:

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made . . . ."

The Great Gatsby

[generalbetrayus]

72. I think i'm at the same spot in the book as you,

and I've had exactly the same reaction to Stephanie as you. I had to put the book down last night at this point because I was as upset with Stephanie as I was with Melanoma. Stephanie seems likable enough, but I think she needs some serious therapy sessions to get at the roots of her Melania-worship.

[PatSeg]

80. I finished the book a half hour ago

I have Cohen's book on preorder and wanted to finish this one up before tomorrow.

I was frequently upset with Stephanie throughout the book and found myself wondering what her husband and children must have been thinking about her blind devotion to a woman who gave so little in return. I think most husbands would have reached a breaking point and perhaps put down some sort of ultimatum - "Hey babe, its us or her". Meanwhile, it appears that he didn't even realize how much money Stephanie had paid in lawyer's fees while at the same time collecting no salary.

I agree that she does seem likable enough, but I also agree that she might need some therapy. Everyone is somebody's fool at one time or another, but her blind devotion to the Ice Queen for so many years is awfully disturbing. If nothing else, writing this book seems to have been very therapeutic for her.

[3catwoman3]

26. Only a somewhat less offensive facade, if I may as so.

I often wonder why/how people of very minimal talents (if any) develop such a sense of entitlement.

The Duchess of Windsor comes to mind. I’ve read many books about her and Edward the 8th, and always find myself thinking, “Who the hell did she think she was?”

[smirkymonkey]

83. I would love to hear more about that in another thread, maybe in the lounge, if you are

so inclined. I am kind of fascinated by the whole Edward and Wallis affair and I can't understand why he would sacrifice so much to be with her. I have seen a few films about them and she just seemed very cold and shrewish.

[3catwoman3]

94. In one of the biographies I read, mention was made of her insistence that...

...the spinach leaves all be the same size if a spinach salad was being served while they were entertaining.

[smirkymonkey]

95. She sounds like a nightmare.

I might have to buy or take a biography out of the Library. My curiosity is piqued. Thanks for the tidbit!

[3catwoman3]

96. Here are 3 books that would be good to start with -

1. Edward VIII - The Road to Abdication by Frances Donaldson
2. The Windsor Story - J. Bryan III and Charles J. V. Murphy
3. Royal Feud - Michael Thornton - this one is about the animosity between the Queen Mother and Wallis Simpson

[smirkymonkey]

97. Thank you!

I so appreciate the recommendations! I don't really know why I am so fascinated with this subject, but for some reason I am. Thanks again!

[Lonestarblue]

39. It's sort of like getting married and having trust in your spouse--

until that spouse cheats on you and you’re left wondering what the hell happened. Some people are just users. Melania is a user, so she and her despicable husband deserve each other.

[karynnj]

70. I have not read the book, but could her claim she believed Melania was nice, needed to make herself

"Innocent"? She after all joined them and was all in, speaking nothing but praise for Melania and her family.

What changed was they made her the scapegoat. That was not just destroying her image and her reputation, but made her suspected of real crimes that could lead to jail ... And added to this they threw her under the bus when she most needed support.

Given all that, I am glad she kept "receipts". They might prove who took those funds and what they did with them. However, in terms of describing the family, I would not trust anything she now says that is not already something many more credible people have said.

With the Trumps, most of the people close enough to know them well are creeps themselves, likely including her and Michael Cohen. This means we need to accept what they can prove and be careful to not give them any credit for being good people. I would not be surprised if we learn that some of the money, beyond what she reasonably should have received, went to her and she was happy to get it even though she had to know it was wrong.

[samnsara]

4. i am 100 pages into it and i think the same thing!!!

..Melania is a smart trump.. a total user..cold and calculating and hard hearted. And I cant wait til princess ivanka is in jail..

Cohens book should arrive this week

[PatSeg]

20. Its quite a week for books

I am 2/3rds through this book and I am trying to finish it so I can read Cohen's book that I've already preordered. I don't think anything I've read about the Trumps thus far is going to top Cohen's book. It is sure to be the ultimate tell-all book on Donald Trump.

The next couple of months is going to be quite the roller coaster ride.

[forgotmylogin]

48. I'm curious if you mean she's "smarter" because she communicates less?

I wonder if that's her choice, or if the Admin prevents her from being too public.

She might be smarter than her husband in that she's not vocal about her activities at every single opportunity.

I've always wondered how different things would be if 45 weren't such a vain blabbermouth about what he was doing and knew how to smooth-talk the way a normal politician would. He could have ripped the country apart without us really even knowing - if he'd done it intelligently and not been at war with everyone who is allegedly in cahoots with him.

[SheltieLover]

5. Thx for sharing

I never had one ounce of doubt about any of this.

First nude is a rissian asset.

Princess is scum.

[BainsBane]

6. I never bought the poor Melania story

She knows exactly what she is doing.

[moonscape]

60. I did in the very beginning - even with Ivanka - because

I could not believe there was another human as odious as DT. Assuming some humanity is instinctual, but now with this crowd one has to assume there is none. Barron is being groomed to be just like them. Wonder if he'll survive somehow.

[lame54]

7. I hope it ends like Marley and Me

[cilla4progress]

8. Ms. Wolkoff was VERY credible

on Maddow last week.

[bamagal62]

9. I've always thought that maybe she's trump's

Handler.

[2naSalit]

15. I've been...

Outright claiming that she is, for years.

[ancianita]

21. Thing is, of the 5 languages she claims to speak, Russian isn't one of them.

Doesn't mean she's not, though.

[Illumination]

27. Heard the 5 languages is another lie. Also heard her story has been embellished a lot.

She's a glorified loser like Tramp.

[OMGWTF]

55. She can say, "Leave the money on the dresser" in five languages.

Melanoma didn't get here on an Einstein visa; it was an Epstein visa.

[Illumination]

57. LOL! You NAILED IT! I was being polite to her with my post but Her & Tramp were awfully chummy

with Epstein! There's lots of news that will be continuing to drop from the Atlantic & other sources. Might we get some more info. RE The Epstein connection? Stay tuned & hold on tight for the ride of your life with these idiot losers & suckers!...

[generalbetrayus]

74. If she actually speaks 5 languages, I hope she doesn't speak the others

as badly as she does English.

[smirkymonkey]

84. I never really believed she had a facility for languages since she can barely speak English

after being in this country for almost 25 years. If someone was really linguistically skilled, they would have mastered the language (especially being immersed in an English speaking country) in about five years.

They might still retain a bit of an accent, but it's not just her accent. She really does not seem to have a grip on grammar or even a very broad vocabulary. Also, when she visited other countries (France, Italy, Germany), about the best she could do was say "Hello, how are you?" "What is your name" and "Goodbye" and then went back to speaking very bad English. She is such a phony.

[Barbara2423]

54. Agree

[Hekate]

12. Thank you!

I hope I can get it from the Library and read thru it then!

[trueblue2007]

13. MAY I Post your review on my Facebook page???

[Joinfortmill]

16. Thank you

She seemed very credible on Rachel Maddow.

[demtenjeep]

17. whomever gets thru out first, would you considering letting on??

I wuuld love to read it but don't ave the funds at t e moment.



too much end ot the month at the end of the money



























f

[Illumination]

28. Look for a free audio on You Tube. Mary Trump's book had one.

[Totally Tunsie]

30. oooooo, you sent me searching, and I found a sample.

There's a 42 minute reading of Chapter 1, and an offer for Chapter 2 if you subscribe.

However, I couldn't get through more than a couple of minutes of the tape. It's so mechanical, so robotic, and very difficult to listen to.

&t=76s

[Illumination]

35. For myself, have the book on order. While I'm waiting, will listen to this right now. Thank you!

[Totally Tunsie]

63. You're more patient than I to get through that tape.

The cadence of the computerized voice is too annoying to me!

Hope your book arrives soon, and that you enjoy it.

[Illumination]

64. The audio here wasn't computerized. Was disappointed that Stephanie did so much talking

about herself & the high society fashion world. Seems to me that she might not have worked with
3 prosecutors & wrote a book if she didn't fear going to prison. After hearing Chapter 1, I'll try to find more free audios. Will cancel my book order. Heard she dedicates the book to Melania?! I'm just getting red flags & I don't think I want to support her with my dollars...

[Totally Tunsie]

66. That's an interesting assessment, Illumination.

I'm sorry if that sample ruined your anticipation of the book, but it's a good way of making a purchase decision.

I've bought a couple of tRump tell-alls and have to get through them before purchasing any others. They're coming out so quickly these days that I'm thinking of renewing my library card for cost effectiveness. However, I spend most of my reading time here on DU, and need to dig in for some serious book reading. Think I'll pass on Melania and Me, however.

[Illumination]

68. Understand what you're saying. Love being on DU but it takes some time management to fit in

reading books, etc. It can be done though! Glad you provided that clip! Thanks again! I did purchase Mary Trump's book & mostly listened to the audio instead. In comparison, I had no problem supporting Mary Trump with my $, but Stephanie & the dedication? No thanks! Dropped off Mary Trump's book @ a non-profit 2nd hand store while wearing my "TRUMP FOR PRISON' mask & button from Zazzle. The button said: "How bad does it have to get"?. Turns out, they're all Democrats & I was treated like a GOD1...

[Totally Tunsie]

69. That's hilarious! I like your style.

Mary Trump's book is sitting on top of my pile, and will be the next one to be read. It's the one I'm most excited to get into. I've enjoyed her TV interviews also; moreso than Stephanie's.

At least the publishing industry is doing well these days!

[Illumination]

71. Why thank you! They even took some photos of me with my mask & button on! Getting back to

Mary Trump, you will love her book! Compared to Stephanie, very little was about Mary. Mary was much more humble than Stephanie! Felt Stephanie was out to prove how fantastic (?) she is! Have enjoyed Mary Trump interviews also. Found an interesting article on-line that you might like. It's: The Anna Melissa Tribune entitled "What a fool I was. First lady's ex-best friend tells all in revenge book Melania & me" It talks about their emojis & love for each other (?). Great to chat with you Totally Tunsie!

[smirkymonkey]

86. Hey Tunsie!

Mary Trump's book was a very good read. She was very clear, concise and to the point and really described the whole family dynamic very well.

It was not in any way a "bash Donald" book, but you definitely took away an impression that he was not a decent person and very damaged in many ways. It was also a very quick read.

I really feel like she filled in a gap that nobody else has really approached and it is a very worthy book in my opinion. I hope you enjoy it, as much as you can enjoy reading a book about Donald Trump and his family.

[Totally Tunsie]

92. Hiya' smirky!

Thanks for your insight. I'm looking forward to starting it, but I'm in the midst of another non-tRump book at the moment. Between that and spending time on DU, just haven't gotten to it yet. What I should do is toss aside my current read and read Mary Trump's book so that I can pass it on. The photo of Chump on the cover annoys me so much that I need to keep it face down.

[smirkymonkey]

93. Ugh! I know! That photo!

I really wished she had published the book without a photo of him. I can't even stand the sight of Trump as a baby, let alone as a young man or an adult. That is how much I despise him. Anyway, you'll get around to it soon enough. Enjoy your current book and let us know what you think when you finish it!

[generalbetrayus]

75. Wait, Melania is the person

speaking this book?

[Totally Tunsie]

79. Oh, goodness...No!

[ancianita]

99. And that's exactly what made 90% of the actual book boring to read -- banal conversations,

silly jostlings behind backs, that show a juvenile set of WH players who try to be higher than the others in a power pecking order. Not juicy or thoughtful, just a treadmill of scenes that show a naive, caring friend texting to protect and help Melania while trying to figure out the venality of people around her.

I get that the disappeared inauguration money and some back room decision to make her the fall guy might become a big deal -- though the heads of the campaign who probably took the money seem shadowy throughout -- and that big deal was mostly in the background of Wolkoff's consciousness until the last 20 pages.

imo, you're better off spending your time reading something else, say, Mary Trump's book.

[Totally Tunsie]

100. Wolkoff's interviews haven't inspired me to read her book,

and it's low on my interest list.

Mary Trump's book is next in line to read as it sits on top of my book pile. I should be starting it soon.

Thanks for your commentary.

[smirkymonkey]

18. Thanks for your review.

It pretty much confirmed what I already suspected, but it's still good to hear the truth.

[Dan]

22. Don't hold back!

[JeaneRaye]

23. Yeah, on my list

Too many books to read right now. Read Mary Trump's book, reading Michael Schmitt's book, Michael Cohen's book is on preorder and to get it this week.... then maybe I'll get around to Melania and Me. Whew... then I will hopefully get back to a plain old murder mystery book or two!

[generalbetrayus]

76. Please review the book for DU if you have the time after reading it.

From what I've heard, there isn't much, if anything, in it that we don't already know, and I'm holding off on buying it for that reason.

Besides, as one of my old friends said to me after Nixon came out with his first book after he resigned, "Don't buy books by crooks."

[Illumination]

87. Love that: "Don't buy books by crooks"! My thinking precisely. Use your dollars wisely to support

those who are reputable...

[JeaneRaye]

102. Which one?

Michael Schmitt's book or Michael Cohen's.

[JeaneRaye]

103. And Also...

Which book are you referring to that "there isn't much in it that we don't already know". I am finding that to be the case with Michael Schmitt's book but I am only about 1/4th done. Slow reader. As background though, his book focuses a lot on Comey and McGahn and I have also read Comey's book, so I know a lot of Comey's background already. McGahn.. not so much. As for the "Don't buy books by Crooks", I guess you are referring to Michael Cohen. I understand where you are coming from, but I think he knows a LOT of shit on Donald Trump, for which he is the ONLY one who has served any time it. Yeah, every time I saw him on TV, I wanted to punch him in the face and I wanted to see him go down for his complicity, but he seems to have come clean in the end.

[OMGWTF]

24. Both Donald and Melania's signatures look like a drawing of a KKK rally.

Can’t wait until these mofos are gone - Jail, Russia, Hell, wherever. I don’t fking care. Just GO!

[Illumination]

88. They're ghastly & will fit right in with Halloween right around the corner...

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. I've long thought that her snooty look of entitlement was a dead giveaway.

She's a golddigger if ever there was one. They may be well matched, but I doubt that they love each other. They're too busy loving themselves.

[SunSeeker]

29. A narcissist can't love anyone. nt

[Andy823]

40. Exactly!

Every thing is about "them", they have to be the center of attention. My brother in law's wife was a narcissist, and she was just like trump, cold and heartless, but she could put on an act for those who didn't know her and make people think she was a "nice" person.

[TexasBushwhacker]

67. Gold is all he has to give and gold is all he's interested in n/t

[dalton99a]

31. Yeah, I was hoping that Ivanka might be a moderating force and a ray of civilization for the gang

[Cha]

32. Thank you for that synopsis.. I like your

vivid descriptions of the Evil Gaslighting Grifters from Hell trumpbots

[cwydro]

33. I just got it on Audible, so I've just started it.

Jaw-dropping already.

Rachel hooked me when she read some of it on her show.

[JustGene]

34. Women (also Beavis and Butthead) are appliances to rump

She's just performing her function.

[tavernier]

36. I just finished the audio version this week.

I agree with your review 100 %.

I especially was shaking my head over how she treated the designer of her gowns. He worked for her exclusively for months and was never reimbursed for his creations or his time. When he was near bankruptcy and had to leave the country she shrugged and told Stephanie, “He should get a job.”

[bucolic_frolic]

37. 'Melania Trump is Donald Trump in a dress'

and vice versa. all that hair dye and orange makeup. so demure with Putin.

you can connect the dots.

[Illumination]

58. Have also heard that Ivanka & Barron are just like him also...What a "F"ing role model that is!...

[AllaN01Bear]

38. you're a mean one mr grinch.

wait , even in the end he had morals .

[SayItLoud]

41. The most accurate statement

regarding the tRUMP crime family; "follow the money". When the State AG's do they will find the evidence to nail not only the tRUMP/Kushner KKKlan but those other swamp-things. No white collar fines PLEASE....jail.

[jaxexpat]

42. Grifting on the grift of the grifters.

[Sherman A1]

43. But other than that

They are just a "fine" group of folks.............

[George II]

45. Wolkoff is going to be on "The View" Wednesday this week.

[panfluteman]

46. The New Trump Tower is the Stack of Tell All Books about Trump and the Trump Gang

And at this rate, it looks like it will be taller than the original Trump Tower. So many books, so little time!

[dlk]

47. Birds of a feather...

Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania & Donald which, of itself, is very telling. Trump his wife & children are the same to varying degrees, the only difference being their degree of loathsomeness. Worst of all, they are an accurate reflection of today’s GOP, and are not unique in any way, entitled leeches & grifters all.

[Grins]

50. What I loved? How she got around Trump's non-disclosure agreement!

After her fall from grace with the trump syndicate she got a visit from -Michael Cohen.
Who taped their conversation.
When Cohen was raided - that tape was taken and therefore became evidence.
That is what freed her from the NDA and allowed her to talk about the inauguration scam.

If it wasn't for Michael...!

[Barbara2423]

53. Melania is Trump

You can see by the women Trump married his world view bent towards authoritarianism. He had long term marriages to the first and third wives (immigrants). The American wife was pretty short. I would not be surprised if Melania and Putin or some other dictator are related.

[Blue Owl]

62. MelDonia

n/t

[GoneOffShore]

65. Sounds like the Medici's but with a whole lot less class.

Perhaps they will all poison each other before too long.

[lonely bird]

90. More like the Borgias

[GoneOffShore]

104. You're right - I got my murderous Italian families mixed up.

[lonely bird]

105. Hey, no problem

Barbara Tuchman wrote a book called The March of Folly. There was a section called “The Renaissance Popes Provoke The Protestant Succession”. Rodrigo Borgia was one of them, Alexander IV (I didn’t know until I read the book that the Borgias were Spanish). Two of the other 6 in the book were Medicis. Power politics was all over the church.

[generalbetrayus]

73. One warning to people who may want to start reading this book. There is NO INDEX.

I've had to make lists of the many people you most likely have never heard of as I've gone along in the book so I can refresh my memory of who they are when Wolkoff brings them up again later in the book, often by only their first names, as if they were friends or colleagues of yours as well as her's.

[Ilsa]

101. Maybe getting or borrowing a Kindle edition

would be more convenient.

[Hekate]

77. A question for our DU psychologists: are sociopaths particularly charming in some way?

How did Melania sustain a relationship with Stephanie that had S convinced for so long that they were actual friends?

Same with Trump and Michael Cohen — Cohen actually thought there was some reciprocity.

How can such toxic people maintain a facade for so long? And why do people fall for it?

[madaboutharry]

81. It was exciting to be so close to power.

The White House and First family offer entry to a certain status. Proximity to that kind of glamour and power is intoxicating. I would think it is even addicting.

[Hekate]

85. Interesting. I can see that.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

89. Interesting question

Two books that came out about the down fall of Richard Nixon , Before The Fall and After The Fall. The presidential psychiatrist labeled Nixon a psychopathic homosexual. You may need to look that one up. You see it seems Nixon had a way of becoming the Nixon he thought you thought he was. So, if Nixon had say 5 one on one meetings in the course of his day, you would see five very different Richard Nixon's ! They called him tricky Dick, but having a glimpse inside his bag of tricks was such a treat. Predators only show you what they want you to see. As long as Trump had use of Cohen, Trump kept up his act of being the Trump Cohen thought he was up to the point in time Trump had no further use of Cohen. At that point, Trump labeled Cohen a liar and a con artist. There are many out there like Trump, the well educated in privet practice can be very good at hiding it, sometimes some of them cannot contain themselves at times and the truth of what they are and all about just seems to pour right out of them.

You see sociopaths do tend to have a short fuse, finding that fuse can prove to difficult. Other times no so difficult, although time consuming. Cohen most likely believed Trump was his friend and he knew how despicable Trump could become, Cohen thought he would never be that way with friends and confidants. In other words Cohen was fooling himself up until the fog lifted.

[StarfishSaver]

78. There's a reason his marriage to Melania has outlasted his previous two marriages

They are, as my grandmother used to say, "equally yoked."

[Illumination]

91. Maybe there's some sort of written agreement, because who in their right mind would stay

married to THAT? There's something in it for her like maybe a pool boy?...

[StarfishSaver]

98. It depends on what the point of the marriage is

I think they're both getting exactly what they want out of it.