Former President of the United States asked his wife, Melania Trump, to parade around their Mar-a-Lago, Florida residence, in a bikini "so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing," according to recordings of Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt which were published by Australian Network 9 Now.
Mr Pratt, the head of a multinational paper and packaging company, continued to develop his connection with the former President, which started when he was still in office and even during his 2020 Presidential campaign. The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and 60 Minutes Australia collaborated on this research, and the programme featured audio recordings of the billionaire discussing his interactions and encounters with Mr Trump.
According to a report from the New York Times, Mr Pratt has subsequently been questioned by investigators from Special Counsel Jack Smith's office. He is named as a possible witness in the case of Donald Trump's misuse of confidential materials following his departure from the White House in 2021. It is unclear whether Mr. Pratt shared these accounts with prosecutors or whether they are aware of the recordings.
Mr Pratt revealed in the tape that the former President had asked his wife to wear a bikini around Mar-a-Lago so that other men could be jealous. He said that Mr Trump asked the then-First Lady to walk around the pool in her swimsuit "so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing." However, she hit back and said, "I'll do that when you walk around with me in your bikini." In a statement to the NYT, a spokesperson for Donald Trump condemned prosecutors and said the information was from "sources which totally lack proper context and relevant information."
Mr Trump, while defending his relationship with the Australian billionaire said, "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. 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 favour of," as per a report in NYT.
