Former Playboy model Karen McDougal sat down with CNN’s Anderson Cooper for an extensive interview on Thursday, March 22, about her alleged 10-month affair with President Donald Trump.
McDougal, 47, said she first met the real estate mogul, 71, at the Playboy Mansion in 2006 while he was filming a scene for The Celebrity Apprentice. She claimed he immediately expressed interest in her and they began a sexual relationship not too long after their first encounter.
Below, Us Weekly rounds up the five biggest revelations from the hourlong interview.
1. He Allegedly Offered to Pay Her After Sex
The model claimed that Trump tried to hand her money after they had sex for the first time at a hotel in Beverly Hills. “He tried to pay me, and I actually didn’t know how to take that,” she said. “The look on my face must have been so sad because I’d never been offered money like that. … It hurt me that he saw me in that light.”
2. He ‘Never’ Asked Her to Hide Their Alleged Relationship
McDougal explained that she kept detailed notes about her interactions with the former reality star in a diary, and even discussed the alleged affair with her sister. “Once he asked, ‘Does your sister know?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, she knows,’” McDougal claimed. “He’s like, ‘Aww,’ so he wasn’t afraid to hide it at all.”
3. She Knew He Was Married
The actress said she was fully aware that the business mogul was married to Melania Trump, but claimed that “he never talked about his wife.” Visibly emotional, McDougal admitted that she felt guilty about the alleged affair, saying, “Looking back where I was back then, I know it’s wrong. I’m really sorry for that.”
4. She Was in Love With Him
McDougal claimed the businessman had real feelings for her. “Of course he did. I know he did,” she said. “I was [in love with him], he was [in love with me]. … He always told me he loved me. He would call me ‘baby’ or he would call me ‘beautiful Karen.’”
5. She Met Melania Once
The 1998 Playmate of the Year said she “tried to keep my distance” from Melania, also now 47, when she met the future first lady at an event for The Celebrity Apprentice. “I felt guilty,” she recounted. Not long after, in April 2007, McDougal decided to end the alleged relationship because it was “tearing” her apart. “What can you say except ‘I’m sorry’?” she said. “I wouldn’t want it done to me.”
The White House has denied that the president ever had a sexual relationship with McDougal.
