Donald Trump 'Concerned' About Melania's Perception Of Karen McDougal Affair; Doesn't Want To Hurt Family, Hope Hicks Claims
Donald Trump considered his wife Melania Trump's reaction when his rumored affair with Karen McDougal made the headlines, according to Hope Hicks.
Hicks, Trump's former top aide, took the witness stand for the ex-POTUS' hush money trial. The former press secretary and top White House spokesperson to Trump recounted her time working for the Trump Organization in front of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.
According to Hicks, the then-president attempted to ensure that a Wall Street Journal article from Nov. 2016 detailing his rumored affair with the Playboy Playmate wouldn't be seen by his wife. Trump was reportedly concerned about Melania's perception of the issue.
"He was concerned about the story. He was concerned how it would be viewed by his wife," Hicks said, Page Six reported. "And he wanted to make sure the newspapers weren't delivered to his residence that morning."
Hicks explained during a follow-up by Emil Bove, a lawyer for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, why Trump didn't want Melania to see the article about his alleged affair with McDougal. Trump allegedly cared about and respected his wife.
"President Trump really values Mrs. Trump's opinion, and she doesn't weigh in all the time, but when she does, it's really meaningful to him," Hicks said.
"He really, really respects what she has to say. I think he was really concerned about what the perception of this would be and, yeah, I know that was weighing on him."
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Additionally, Hicks, who was overcome with emotion after getting grilled by prosecutors, noted that Trump didn't want his family to "be hurt" by the stories "going on in his campaign."
Meanwhile, Stephanie Grisham, the former Trump administration secretary and communications director and former chief of staff to Melania, claimed that Trump feared his wife. She was even convinced that Melania was among the reasons why he would never admit to the alleged affairs.
"We were in the White House [when] he was first hit with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, the Playboy playmate. I was with Mrs. Trump the whole time, and she was not happy about it. And many days, she talked to me about how unhappy she was about what was happening," Grisham told MSNBC.
"She chose not to go to the State of the Union with him. She chose not to walk to Marine One with him. And he fears her. I would say she is the one person that I think Donald Trump really fears and respect, so I guarantee this is not a great weekend or Sunday for Donald Trump right now."
Several sources shared the same opinion that Trump feared Melania. Biographer Tim O'Brien, author of "TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald," claimed that he may have paid Stormy Daniels because he was afraid of his wife.
"I don't think he was only worried about his campaign potentially getting blown up. I think he was also worried about his marriage getting blown up," the Trump biographer told MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" in 2023.
"Donald Trump has a long history of cheating on his wives, and I think he was probably more afraid at that point of Melania Trump than he was of the electorate, so he had a motivation to try and get this out of the way."
Kellyanne Conway, who was a former senior Trump White House aide, also testified in November to the House panel investigating the Capitol riot. According to her, Trump "listens to many of us." However, "he reserves fear for one person, Melania Trump."
