Former President Donald Trump has hit out at a New York Times report that claimed he asked his wife, Melania Trump, to walk around in a bikini by the pool in Mar-a-Lago "so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing."
Trump allegedly made the remark to Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, and the newspaper also reported on Sunday that he spoke to Pratt about the number of nuclear warheads that U.S. submarines typically carry.
Trump called the report "Fake News" in a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday and appeared to mock the billionaire, who is one of Australia's richest men and has met with the Trumps several times. Federal prosecutors investigating Trump's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida interviewed Pratt as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe.
The New York Times report cited covert recordings from 60 Minutes Australia that were shared with the newspaper. According to the audio recordings aired by the show on Sunday, Pratt said that Trump had asked his wife to wear a bikini at Mar-a-Lago.
"Then Melania said back to him, 'I'll do that when you walk around with me in your bikini,'" Pratt said.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment on the report.
The former president didn't respond directly to the claim about the bikini in his Truth Social post, but he strongly criticized The New York Times' story and the special counsel's office.
"The Failing New York Times story, leaked by Deranged Jack Smith and the Biden 'Political Opponent Abuser' DOJ, about a red haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News," Trump wrote.
"I never spoke to him about Submarines, but I did speak to him about creating jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania, because that's what I'm all about - JOBS, A GREAT ECONOMY, LOW TAXES, NO INFLATION, ENERGY DOMINANCE, STRONG BORDERS, NO ENDLESS WARS, LOW INTEREST RATES, and much more!" he added.
"Maggie Hagerman [sic] and the Misfits never called me for a comment," Trump added. "Why would they, they just write anything they want. Whether it's correct or not is of ZERO importance to them. 'All the News That's Unfit To Print.' That's why we call it the Fake News!"
Maggie Haberman was one of four journalists who shared a byline for The New York Times' report.
The newspaper quoted a statement from a Trump spokesman who condemned prosecutors and said the information was from "sources which totally lack proper context and relevant information."
The New York Times also cited a statement from the former president defending his relationship with Pratt.
"He's a member of the most successful club in the country, Mar-a-Lago, and from a friendly country in Australia, one of our great allies," Trump said.
"I don't know him well but he seemed like a nice person. He built a factory in Ohio and created American jobs, which I'm in favor of," he said.
The former president allegedly shared potentially classified information regarding U.S. nuclear submarines with Pratt in a conversation at Mar-a-Lago three months after he left office in 2021. Trump has denied this.
Pratt is the billionaire owner of the U.S.-based cardboard company Pratt Industries and he is a member of Mar-a-Lago, Trump's luxury club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Uncommon Knowledge
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About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has covered the Biden administration, election polling and the U.S. Supreme Court. Darragh joined Newsweek in 2020 from PoliticusUSA and had previously worked at The Contemptor. He attended the University of Limerick, Ireland and ELTE, Hungary. Languages: English, German.
You can get in touch with Darragh by emailing d.roche@newsweek.com.
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