Member-only story
The Day I Was Forced to Parade Around “The Donald’s” Dining Room Table
The King’s royal request to pluck a maiden of his choosing
Back in the late 80s I had the unfortunate experience of meeting the man who is now the leader of our nation. At the time, he was just an entitled scion of Fred Trump, attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps. Boasting of his worth and influence to anyone who would listen, he was overly leveraged and would in less than a decade be forced to declare bankruptcy on failed properties. But I’m getting ahead of myself. What was most egregious about him was not his permanently pursed lips, blustering baby face, or carefully coiffed do, but his glee and satisfaction as the new owner of the fabled Plaza Hotel. Known as a bastion for high society since its opening in 1907, the Plaza represented the golden key that Trump believed would open the door to his acceptance by New York Society. But all the bluster, bravado, and glitzy parties did not move the needle. Trump was still an outcast.
To keep his then wife, Ivana, busy, so that he could carry on his nefarious extramarital affair with Marla Maples, he put the mother of his three young children in charge of renovating and redecorating the hotel. While Ivana was busy gilding every square inch of the Plaza, Trump was free to flee to Marla’s love shack across…
