‘Be Rougher With Your Wives And You’ll See A Different Relationship’ – Recently Unearthed Interview Comes Back To Haunt Trump

A 1994 ABC News Trump interview shows that he never respected women, despite his frequent claims that his relationships with the women in his life at the time were “great.”

Dan Rather, best known for his 24-year tenure as anchor of ‘CBS Evening News, published a scathing Facebook post in the wake of the controversy surrounding last week’s resignation of White House staff secretary Rob Porter amid allegations that he abused his two ex-wives.

Rather pointed out that “The Rob Porter wife beating scandal that has the White House under siege is a heat-seeking missile to the heart of many of President Trump’s biggest fears and vulnerabilities.”

As The Hill reported: “Trump on Friday offered praise for Porter. He said he hopes Porter has a ‘great career ahead of him’ and that he did a ‘very good job’ during his time serving in the White House. The president added that it is a “tough time” for Porter.”

Then, on Saturday, Trump alluded to the Porter scandal on Twitter, posting: “Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

Twitter user Brasilmagic was quick to respond, tweeting a meme citing Trump quote regarding marriage.

” I tell friends who treat their wives magnificently, get treated like crap in return, ‘Be rougher and you’ll see a different relationship.’ Unfortunately, with people in general, you get more with vinegar than honey,” the quote read.

Hard to believe it – then again, maybe not – but that is an accurate quote from a 1994 interview with Nancy Collins from ABC‘s “Primetime Live.”

The transcript of that interview wasn’t released until October 2016 when Collins herself published it as part of an article published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Collins prefaced the transcript, writing in part: “In 1994, I interviewed Donald and Marla Trump at Mar-a-Lago for ABC‘s ‘Primetime Live,’ where I was a correspondent. I was down in Palm Beach to talk about Trump’s self-touted comeback from near financial ruin. Though several quotes from my interview have appeared elsewhere (as has the 11-minute segment that aired in 1994), the majority of this interview has never been published before now.”

She went on the write that: “In fairness, Trump was professional, cooperative, respectful — none of the grabs or touching that has been reported by other women. No, he did not hit on me … probably because I was always surrounded by two cameramen, two sound guys and a producer. With Trump, it’s always a good idea to show up with your own SWAT team.”

Trump talked with Collins about a variety of topics, including his wives Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, prenuptial agreements, women who work – specifically women who work for him – and how he enjoyed creating stars.

Turning to the interview itself and typical of Trump today, he claimed to have a good relationship with the women in his life.

  • COLLINS: Let’s talk about women. Your feelings toward them seem conflicted, even chauvinistic, confusing since you adore and respect your mother so much.
  • TRUMP: I have great relationships with women, my mother, Ivana, Marla, my female executives are better than the men: tougher, smarter.

Again reminiscent of his current pattern of  lashing out at women, the following exchange occurred:

  • COLLINS: So why in 1992 did you tell a writer for New York magazine, Marie Brenner, that ‘You have to treat women like shit” — ultimately pouring a bottle of wine down her back?
  • TRUMP: I didn’t say that. The woman’s a liar, extremely unattractive, lots of problems because of her looks.

Continuing their conversation, Trump suggested that treating women poorly is the best pathway to a successful marriage:

  • COLLINS: That statement is exactly why women think you’re a chauvinist pig.
  • TRUMP: They’re right — and not. People say, “How can you say such a thing?” but there’s a truth in it, in a modified form. Psychologists will tell you that some women want to be treated with respect, others differently. I tell friends who treat their wives magnificently, get treated like crap in return, “Be rougher and you’ll see a different relationship.’ Unfortunately, with people in general, you get more with vinegar than honey.

Later on, the interview turned to Trump’s breakup with former wife Ivana.

  • COLLINS: Was there a precipitating event?
  • TRUMP: We had a great relationship for several years … I was 100 percent faithful, loved Ivana … then I asked her to take over Trump Castle. Putting your wife to work is a very dangerous thing — the single biggest reason my marriage stopped being good, my fault more than hers. I thought, “Ivana’s a great homemaker, mother, but I’ll give her something really exciting to do” — like raising kids wasn’t the most important job in the world. “Why don’t you run Trump Castle?” She knew nothing about casinos but she’d been with me. If you’re smart, you’re smart. She jumped at it, did a nice job, but I can hire someone to do that.
  • I don’t want to sound like a chauvinist, but when I come home at night and dinner’s not ready I go through the roof.

At one point in the interview, he compared both of his ex-wives Ivana and Marla Maples to one of his buildings:

  • COLLINS: You seem to call all the shots in a relationship: when, if you’ll marry, or divorce, whether your wife will work, or not — which Marla wants to do.
  • TRUMP: I don’t see it that way. I’m a great starmaker, which I’ve done with Ivana and Marla. I liked that. But once they are a star, the fun is over for me. It’s the creation process, like creating a building. It’s sad.
  • COLLINS: Hardly encouraging for the women in your life.
  • TRUMP: It’s complicated, I change from moment to moment. I’m not saying anybody gets a joy ride in this deal. But it could be a lot worse. I’m a very good husband.

Trump concluded the portion of the interview focusing on women with the following exchange regarding pre-nuptial agreements:

  • COLLINS: Once the bride signs the pre-nup. Marla didn’t want to.
  • TRUMP: It’s a lousy concept — “When you get divorced, this is what you’ll get” — but a modern-day necessity. Marla doesn’t want to sign but she has to from my standpoint. I understand, a pre-nup feels like you’re giving up on the marriage before it starts. But my businesses are big and complex. If things don’t work out, should a woman you happened to marry lay claim to Trump Tower? I don’t want to go through five years of turmoil and lawyers’ fees.
  • COLLINS: Marla reportedly asked for $25 million, you negotiated her down to a million which looks a little …
  • TRUMP: Cheap?
  • COLLINS: Yeah, cheap.
  • TRUMP: Not so bad. You get married, doesn’t work out, you get a million bucks. I’m not the worst guy to be married to. I think a million dollars is a lot of money.
  • COLLINS: No, you don’t.
  • TRUMP: No, I don’t actually.
  • COLLINS: Especially for the mother of your child, loyal for six years, you’ve got the dough, give her the 25 mil.
  • TRUMP: I look at everything like a deal. I built this empire myself, nobody did it for me. If someone married somebody who built something this large, should she end up like the Queen of Sheba? If our marriage doesn’t work out, I don’t want to go through five years of lawyers, legal fees. If I give more, I want to make the decision, not some court saying, “You agreed to pay X — and will.” Ivana challenged our pre-nup for three years, ending up with the original settlement.

You can watch some excerpts of that interview in the clip, below, along with Collins sharing some of her thoughts on it with CNN last week:

 

 

 

Samuel Warde
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