Omarosa Manigault Newman—in the midst of a siege on the White House and her former boss Donald Trump—has found a new supporter in her corner: magician and fellow former Apprentice star Penn Jillette. In an interview with Vulture, the performer backed Manigault Newmans claim that theres an NBC tape somewhere of Trump saying “racially insensitive” things during the making of the reality-competition series. However, Jillette stopped short of saying there are tapes of Trump explicitly saying the n-word, which Manigault Newman has claimed over the course of her press tour for her new memoir, Unhinged. This claim has been backed and reiterated by others, and has not been outright denied by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Trump denied it, however, in an extensive Twitter rant.
When asked flat-out if he heard Trump make racist remarks on the set of the reality series, Jillette replied in the affirmative. He wouldnt, however, quote exactly what he heard Trump say. “If Donald Trump had not become president, I would tell you all the stories,” Jillette explained. “But the stakes are now high and I am an unreliable narrator. . . . I can emotionally tell you things that happened racially, sexually, and that showed stupidity and lack of compassion when I was in the room with Donald Trump and I guarantee you that I will get details wrong.”
He noted that he was getting little sleep over the course of the show, which may make him an unreliable narrator. “I was not at my best,” Jillette said. The show commanded its contestants to pretend that they cared about whatever Trump was rambling about from moment to moment, and Jillette would like to stress that it was rambling.
“Pontificates is giving him too much credit,” Jillette said. “And because you live in the modern world youve heard Trump ramble. But youve heard Trump ramble when he thinks hes being careful. Imagine when he feels he can be frank. And I will tell you things, but I will very conscientiously not give you quotations because I believe that would be morally wrong. Im not trying to protect myself. This really is a moral thing.”
Though he still wouldnt quote anything, Jillette did go ahead and characterize some of the things he heard Trump say, including crude small talk in which the then Apprentice host would turn to a cast member and ask “if hed rather have sex with this woman or that woman,” or talk about a real-estate deal he had made that proved that he was “a good businessman.”
“When it came to think about supporting him for president, I digested that information from being on the show with him and said, Absolutely not. He would be a terrible president,” Jillette recalled. However, he thinks releasing the tapes of whatever Trump said back then “might be unfair,” largely because it took place in the context of filming a reality show. When journalist David Marchese argued that the tapes might fit into the greater context of who Trump is as a person, Jillette conceded that thats a fair assessment, and added this postscript: “I cant stress this enough: I do not respect Donald Trump.”
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:The Mesmerizing Joy of Justin Biebers Recent Paparazzi PhotosPreviousNext
August 9
One day Bieber was crying on a Citi Bike and the next hes holding a book on marriage by evangelist Timothy Keller, and telling TMZ, “You got good days and you got bad days. Its not real if it doesnt have any bad days.” And hes wearing slippers.By Turgeon-Steffman/SplashNews.com.
August 8
When was the last time you saw a celebrity get a haircut (not by Jen Atkin somewhere in L.A.)? Its so intimate. Hes wearing a smock. Baldwin is there for emotional support. No one has told him yet that straws are illegal. Its a masterpiece.By James Devaney/GC Images.
August 8
Elsewhere on a Wednesday, Bieber eats raisins, natures candy.From Gotham/GC Images.
August 7
Justin Bieber finally dressed appropriately for the weather. Maybe a Calvin Klein ad.By Raymond Hall/GC Images.
August 6
On this day in the city, it was 91 degrees with 50 percent humidity.By James Devaney/GC Images.
August 4
On this day, it was 84 degrees.By James Devaney/GC Images.
August 4
And he solved the Rubiks Cube. Scroll down and you will see that this is a triumph maybe one month in the making.By James Devaney/GC Images.
July 30
The paparazzi followed Bieber and Baldwin into Frankels Delicatessen, near McCarren Park. He in Supreme; she in a tracksuit. I dont know what they ordered, but maybe this mustachioed man does.By James Devaney/GC Images.
July 29
By Robert Kamau/GC Images.
July 28
Here they are cosplaying as exceedingly normal people in denim and a hockey sweatshirt at Whole Foods.By Robert O'neil/SplashNews.com.
July 27
Here they are at the end of shopping spree at Patrons of the New, a streetwear boutique for men and women. The couple that shops together, bops together, forever, as the saying goes.By Alessio Botticelli/GC Images.
July 26
Less than 20 days after their engagement and theyve still got it.By Jackson Lee/SplashNews.com.
July 5
Hotel slippers. Hes wearing hotel slippers for a stroll in the Financial District.By Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/Getty Images.
July 12
If you compare the Rubiks Cube from this photo series to the one later on August 6, youll note improvement. Maybe all these photos are supposed to communicate an intellectual evolution. Regardless, he betrays no signs that he understands how to get dressed for the damp dregs of New York City.By Alessio Botticelli/GC Images.
June 13
Maybe Bieber never knew how to dress for the weather. Maybe the weather is theoretical to him. Maybe its a statement about his life indoors, forever doomed to an artificially calibrated air-conditioned existence because hes not really allowed outside, except for these pap-walks. The Daily Mail published a video that shows Bieber asking Baldwin to get out of the S.U.V. so the paps can get their shot. It lasted a few seconds, but everyone was very cordial. And then back into the air-conditioning they went. Curious.From 247PAPS.TV/SplashNews.com.
Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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