An old interview that Robin Leach conducted with Donald Trump is going viral once more, following the celebrity journalist’s death this week at the age of 76.
In the 1994 broadcast of Leach’s syndicated show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” Trump responded to a question about what attributes his 1-year-old daughter Tiffany had inherited from himself and her mother, then-wife Marla Maples, by talking about the infant’s legs and breasts.
“Well, I think she’s got a lot of Marla, she’s a really beautiful baby,” said Trump, who was sat next to Maples. “She’s got Marla’s legs. We don’t know whether or not she’s got this part yet, but time will tell,” Trump added, while cupping his hands to his chest to indicate breasts.
“The Daily Show” resurfaced the clip in April 2016, just seven months before Trump won the presidential election. Host Trevor Noah aired the footage, which he believed hadn’t been seen for more than two decades, and was left speechless.
“He could have said anything and he went with legs and possibly boobs,” said Noah, after finally gathering his thoughts. “We would have accepted pretty much any other body part.”
“We know for sure that there’s no female too small for Trump not to reduce her to her body parts,” Noah added. “I don’t even think that Trump was trying to be funny or provocative, it just clearly shows that it’s an impulse for him.”
Leach later defended Trump’s comments, telling Inside Edition in 2016 that the backlash was an “overreaction” and “just the piling on of those who dislike Donald.”
Trump has a history of objectifying his daughters. In 2006, he said on ABC’s “The View” that he’d “perhaps” date his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump if they weren’t related.