Even though reporters said she hadsome eyebrow-raising things to sayabout his kids, PresidentDonald Trumpis speaking warmly of his former White House personal assistant,Madeleine Westerhout.
The 28-year-old, an Oval Office gatekeeper since Trump took office in 2017, wasreportedly forced out of her jobon Thursday after she hadspoken indelicately about the Trump familyat an off-the-record dinner with the press last month.
On Twitter on Saturday, Trumpwrote thatWesterhout had “called me yesterday to apologize. … I fully understood and forgave her!”
According toPolitico,which first reported Westerhout’s remarks, she had been drinking when “in an uncharacteristically unguarded moment, she opened up to the reporters,” a source told the outlet.
Westerhout said that she felt she had a stronger relationship with President Trump than his daughters,Ivanka Trump, who is a senior White House aide, andTiffany Trump,Politicoreported.
Westerhout also said that the president felt Tiffany, 25, was overweight and didn’t like being photographed with her because of that, according toPolitico. The president later denied this, telling reporters, “[Tiffany] is a wonderful person. … She’s a great student.”
TheNew York Times,citing its own sources, reported that at the off-the-record dinner Westerhout had discussed “Trump’s eating habits; his youngest son,Barron Trump; and his thoughts about [Tiffany’s] weight and appearance.”
“She is a very good person,” he tweeted Saturday of Westerhout, echoing what he told reporters at the White House the previous day when asked about the unusual drama. Though notoriously leaky, the Trump administration has rarely seen officials publicly confirmed as loose lipped.
“I really think she had a bad night. I think it was unfortunate. She said she was drinking, and the whole thing was very unfortunate,” Trump told reporters on Friday at the White House.
Trump declined to describe Westerhout’s dismissal as a firing — “I think it was automatic” — and partially blamed the “very dishonest” press for Westerhout’s decision to be candid at an off-the-record gathering.
“I always felt she did a good job,” he said, adding, “She called, and I wish her well.”
From left: Madeleine Westerhout, President Donald Trump and Tiffany Trump.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images; Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/Shutterstock
“She mentioned a couple of things about my children,” Trump told the press on Friday, without elaborating.
“You don’t say things like she said, which were just a little bit hurtful to some people,” he said.
Asked whether it was true that he didn’t like being photographed with Tiffany, the president said, “Oh, no. No. Tiffany is great. I love Tiffany.”
In an interview withThe Atlanticpublished earlier this year, Trumpsounded off on each of his children. He shares Don Jr., Eric and Ivanka with first wifeIvana Trump. Tiffany is his only child with second wifeMarla Maples, who raised Tiffany on the West Coast after their split. He and First LadyMelania Trumpshare Barron.
“If [Ivanka] ever wanted to run for president, I think she’d be very, very hard to beat,” he toldThe Atlantic.
Of his other kids, he said, “Barron is young, but he’s got wonderful potential. And Tiffany’s doing extremely well. Don is, uh, he’s enjoying politics; actually, it’s very good. And Eric is running the business along with Don and also very much into politics. I mean, the children — the children have been very, very good.”
source: people.com
