As Donald Trump’s New York ‘hush money’ trial rumbles on, his former EA took to the witness stand last week. Madeleine Westerhout, a Trump loyalist who was actually fired from her White House role, cried during her testimony and referred to her ex-boss as “amazing”.
For those not in the know, this is Trump’s first criminal trial; a result of the 77-year-old being charged with 34 counts of fraud related to hush money that was paid to Stormy Daniels, an actress in adult films, before the 2016 election. He pleaded not guilty, arguing that the allegations he faces are not criminal and it is expected that the trial – which began in April – will last six weeks.
Madeleine formally resigned as the former president’s EA in August 2019 after allegedly revealing personal information about the Trump family to the press; boasting that she had a better relationship with Trump than his daughters, Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump Boulos. She went on to say that Trump disliked being photographed with Tiffany because he thought she was overweight.
The issue behind her resignation was raised in court by the prosecution and Madeleine cried as she recalled her “youthful indiscretion”. She advised that she had learned a lot from the experience and discussed the book she wrote on the topic, Off the Record: My Dream Job at the White House, How I Lost It, and What I Learned, which was published in August 2020: “I thought it was essential to share with the American people the man I got to know. I don’t think he’s treated fairly and I wanted to tell that story,” she explained. Later, the former assistant called Trump “amazing” and admitted that she found him “really enjoyable to work for”.
Before Madeleine took to the stand, checks sent to Trump’s former attorney (to reimburse him for the $130,000 he gave Stormy’s attorney as part of a nondisclosure agreement regarding her sexual encounter in 2006) from Trump Tower in New York via FedEx to Washington DC where Trump signed them in the Oval Office were discussed.
Of course, the EA’s role in this was explored and Madeleine admitted that FedEx envelopes were sent to Trump’s bodyguard then given to her at the White House before she passed them to her boss to sign. “I opened the envelope and inside was a manila folder with a stack of checks. I don’t recall how frequently but it was consistent. Maybe twice a month.”
Madeleine confirmed that she worked closely with Trump and immediately understood his work habits, commenting that during his time as president he spent a lot of time on the phone – with some calls happening as early as 6am – and meeting with people in a small dining room in the Oval Office. She added that she organised for Trump’s former attorney to visit in February 2017; a meeting that underpins the 34 felony charges.
