Donald Trump slammed a New York Times report on covert audio recordings that disclosed a series of unsavory claims about him, including various allegations from an Australian billionaire about his interactions with the former president.
The New York Times on Sunday documented information contained within recordings shared with the publication by "60 Minutes Australia," which also aired commentary from magnate Anthony Pratt. The Australian businessman and Trump reportedly did not know each other well prior to the 2016 presidential election; however, Pratt soon "played the game," becoming a member at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, bolstering support for him publicly, and purchasing newspaper ads that endorsed Trump as a savvy job creator. In 2020, as Election Day approached, Pratt indicated via a message obtained by federal investigators that, '“If Potus is having his election party at mar Lago I’ll book as many rooms as available." As Salon's Heather Digby Parton points out, Pratt "did things like spend a million dollars for New Year's Eve party tickets that were sold to everyone else for $50,000."
However, despite Pratt and Trump's seemingly genial and financially lucrative affiliations, Pratt has since become wrapped up in the ex-president's legal woes, having already submitted to an interview with prosecutors in Trump's classified documents case in Florida. Pratt in the interview reportedly shared that Trump had told him secret information about American nuclear submarines, a claim which Trump has refuted.
In the newly leaked audio, Pratt reportedly remarked that Trump's business tactics were "like the mafia," also claiming that Trump in 2019 shared aspects of a conversation with Iraq's leader days before a U.S. drone strike would hit Baghdad. Trump also allegedly discussed a scandalized phone call between himself and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which he effectively attempted to extort Zelenskyy's government. The call would play a pivotal role in Trump's first impeachment. “That was nothing compared to what I usually do,” Trump reportedly said in Pratt’s recounting.
"The private comments," wrote Times' reporters Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer, and Jonathan Swan, "captured while Mr. Trump was still president, provide a rare glimpse into how a businessman on the other side of Mr. Trump’s transactions actually viewed the New York real estate developer’s tactics — with a mix of blunt acknowledgment and admiration for someone so willing to test the boundaries of the presidency."
Pratt in the audio clips also claimed that Trump asked his wife and former first lady Melania to parade around Mar-a-Lago in a bikini "so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing," adding that Melania ultimately retorted “I’ll do that when you walk around with me in your bikini.”
Trump blasted the report as "Fake News" on his TruthSocial platform late Sunday night, calling Pratt a "red-haired weirdo."
"The Failing New York Times story, leaked by Deranged Jack Smith and the Biden 'Political Opponent Abuser' DOJ, about a red haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News," Trump fumed. "I never spoke to him about Submarines, but I did speak to him about creating jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania, because that’s what I’m all about - JOBS, A GREAT ECONOMY, LOW TAXES, NO INFLATION, ENERGY DOMINANCE, STRONG BORDERS, NO ENDLESS WARS, LOW INTEREST RATES, and much more! Maggie Hagerman and the Misfits never called me for a comment. Why would they, they just write anything they want. Whether it’s correct or not is of ZERO importance to them. “All the News That’s Unfit To Print.” That’s why we call it the Fake News!"
