Former President Donald Trump had a “crush” on Will & Grace star Debra Messing and is still hurt that the liberal actress trashed him on Twitter, according to the author of the new Apprentice book.
In Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Brought America Through the Looking Glasswrote Ramin Setoodeh, co-editor-in-chief of Variety, that Messing came up several times during his six sit-downs with Trump after the 2020 election.
The book was published on Tuesday.
Setoodeh pointed out that Messing’s criticism on social media continued to live on in Trump’s mind “rent-free” and reported that Trump would keep an eye on her Twitter account during his years as president.
“This Debra Messing, who I always found very attractive – not that it matters of course…,” Trump said during one of their interviews. “Debra Messing was so grateful… And then when I look at her today, it’s like she’s a raging mess.”
Former President Donald Trump (left) was ‘in love’ with Will & Grace star Debra Messing (right) and is still hurt that the liberal actress trashed him on Twitter, the author of the new Apprentice book said
Trump’s first meeting with Messing, he told Setoodeh, took place around the time The Apprentice was in its second season.
“So I’m in line,” Trump recalled. “The show was No. 1 and we’re ready to do the prep, which I’d never heard of before.”
Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh wrote in his new book, Apprentice in Wonderland, that Trump brought up actress Debra Messing on several occasions
Upfronts are an annual presentation in May where the networks bring out some of their biggest TV stars to recruit advertisers.
“And Debra Messing came to me. She had a show at the same time,” Trump continued. ‘She came to me with her beautiful red hair. And she said, “Sir, I love you! Thank God for you! You save the network and you save my show.”
“Because in that world, which I know a lot about now, if you have a hit or a lead-in, it’s a huge difference,” Trump added.
Setoodeh pointed out that Will & Grace came on directly before The Apprentice — meaning it wouldn’t have gotten ratings from Apprentice viewers who stayed tuned to NBC.
On the contrary, Will & Grace viewers may have helped Trump’s show.
“A lead-in – or a lead-out,” Trump clarified, sticking to his story.
“She was so grateful,” he said. “She said, ‘I can’t thank you enough.’ Do you believe this? I looked at her. And I say, “She would do anything for me.”
During his years in the White House, Trump kept an eye on Debra Messing’s negative tweets about him and responded in September 2019, recalling the story he would later reveal to author Ramin Setoodeh.
Setoodeh wrote that as Trump made this claim, his “words are lathered with a suggestive grease, similar to the tone in which he brags about women finding him irresistible in the leaked Access Hollywood tape.”
“She was so exuberant,” Trump continued. “And when I see the hate coming out of her mouth today, it’s unbelievable.”
Journalist Yashir Ali first reported about Trump’s ‘obsession’ with Messing in the book.
Trump retold the story several times and encouraged Setoodeh to publish it.
“You need to tell that story about Debra Messing,” the former president and presumptive Republican Party nominee advised. “To me it’s disgusting.”