“Everyone remembers exactly where he or she was when President Kennedy was shot. But I, typical gossip columnist that I am, remember exactly where I was when I first heard the word Trump.”
Liz Smith, Natural Blonde, A Memoir
Liz Smith, Natural Blonde, A Memoir
 Liz Smith at Mortimer's |  "Natural Blonde, A Memoir" |
Liz Smith lived to see the Trump presidency, but that is not what inspired the above quip. The quote is taken from her memoir, published eighteen-years ago. In the book, she covers the erstwhile real estate developer's divorce from his first wife, Ivana, which was one of the biggest scoops of Smith's career. Broadway starlet Marla Maples also landed the best part of her career, as the other woman in the Trump divorce. With the glitzy Ivana battling it out with the beautiful Marla and with a media-embellished fortune at stake, the saga dominated the tabloids. Smith called it, "the biggest story I've ever seen that isn't important," topped only by the romance of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Smith's inside position as confidante of Ivana Trump gave her scoop after scoop. Her daily readership soared to new heights and led to a pay raise. But what of the other players involved, specifically the future president? This was the early nineties when scandalous behavior was considered bad public relations for a businessman. As such, he reacted badly, writing negatively about Liz Smith in his second book. He eventually forgave her, and Smith was not only invited but given a prime spot at Trump's marriage to the other woman, Marla Maples. Was he being magnanimous, or had he begun to understand that he possessed a skill that rivaled that of the legendary King Midas? He had the ability to spin negative publicity into public relations gold.
Smith's inside position as confidante of Ivana Trump gave her scoop after scoop. Her daily readership soared to new heights and led to a pay raise. But what of the other players involved, specifically the future president? This was the early nineties when scandalous behavior was considered bad public relations for a businessman. As such, he reacted badly, writing negatively about Liz Smith in his second book. He eventually forgave her, and Smith was not only invited but given a prime spot at Trump's marriage to the other woman, Marla Maples. Was he being magnanimous, or had he begun to understand that he possessed a skill that rivaled that of the legendary King Midas? He had the ability to spin negative publicity into public relations gold.
Image Credit: Our Years at Mortimer's
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