Donald Trump’s former executive assistant has revealed that Melania Trump was “definitely the one in charge” in her marriage to Donald Trump.
In dramatic testimony about Trump’s secret trial, Madeleine Westerhout said the former first couple had a “special relationship” based on “mutual respect.”
When he was president, Trump would call his wife from the Oval Office and ask her to look down from a window in the White House residence.
And when he left by helicopter he called her to ‘check in’.
Madeleine Westerhout looks on as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with North Korean defectors in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, February 2, 2018.
Madeleine Westerhout is seen with President Donald Trump in one of her Twitter photos
Westerhout testified in a Manhattan courtroom shortly after Stormy Daniels, the former porn star who was paid $130,000 by Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen.
Trump denies 34 charges of falsifying business records to cover up an alleged affair with Daniels.
Westerhout broke down in tears on the witness stand as she recounted how making intrusive comments at a dinner with reporters had led her to leave her job at the White House.
Former US President Donald Trump watches as former Oval Office Chief Operating Officer Madeleine Westerhout testifies during her criminal trial accused of falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, USA, May 9, 2024 in this courtroom sketch
Melania Trump listens as her husband, outgoing US President Donald Trump, addresses guests at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 20, 2021.
The cover of Madeleine Westerhout’s book ‘Off the Record’ about her time working for Trump in the White House
As Trump watched from the defense table, she answered questions about the former first couple’s marriage and how it had been affected by Daniels’ claims.
He said nothing seemed to have changed in the Trumps’ relationship.
Westerhout said: “I think they have a relationship of mutual respect. I found their relationship really special. He cares a lot about her opinion. There was no one else who could put him in his place.
“He was my boss, but she was definitely the one in charge. I remember thinking their relationship was really special.” They laughed a lot when she entered the Oval Office.
She continued: ‘From time to time she would tell me to call her and tell her she was running late, like any other marriage.
“She would text me, ‘It’s past dinnertime, when is my husband coming home?'”
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in an event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC
Former President Donald Trump, right, with his wife, Melania Trump, as they arrive at a Republican Party fundraiser, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Madeleine Westerhout appears with the Thanksgiving turkey in one of her Twitter photos, posted on November 21, 2017.
Westerhout told the court that he sometimes looked into the Oval Office and saw Trump talking on the phone.
She said: “I realized I was on the phone with Mrs Trump.” She said (to Mrs. Trump), honey, come to the window (of the residence). He told them to come to the window and (they) greeted each other.
“When he boarded Marine One on the South Lawn, he called Mrs. Trump and said honey, I’m about to board. I thought it was funny, of course she knows his schedule, but he wanted to check it out.
Westerhout said working for Trump was “amazing.”
She told the court: “He never made me feel like I didn’t deserve that job, especially in an office full of older men.”
‘He was a really good boss who respected me and my work. I found it very pleasant to work for him.’
Madeleine Westerhout began to cry on the stand.
Stormy Daniels testifies during the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump accused of falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at Manhattan State Court in New York City, USA, on May 9, 2024 in this courtroom sketch.
Stormy Daniels with attorney Clark Brewster at Trump hush money trial
He described how he had to leave his job at the White House after attending what he thought was an off-the-record dinner.
“I said some things I shouldn’t have said,” Westerhout told the court. ‘In the end, it cost me my job and I am very sorry for my youthful indiscretion. But I learned a lot from my experience and have grown a lot since then.”
She wiped away tears as she recounted the experience and told how she had written a book to “process what had happened.”
“I wanted to document for myself and my family the incredible experience I had working in the White House,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump gestures as he walks into the courtroom following a break in his trial in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in New York.
Donald Trump’s personal secretary Madeleine Westerhout, left, and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the White House in 2018.
Stormy Daniels leaves Manhattan Criminal Court after testifying in the trial of former US President Donald Trump
He wanted to share with the American people “the man I knew.”
She said of Trump: “I don’t think he’s treated fairly and I wanted to tell that story.”
Westerhout also explained to jurors Trump’s contact list since early 2017.
It included entries for Cohen and David Pecker, the former National Enquirer editor who prosecutors say helped the Trump campaign pay people with potentially damaging stories to remain silent before the 2016 election.