by Grazia |

Top picture: Peter Bohler

In a world exclusive interview with Grazia, Jennifer, 37, a contestant in season 4 of The Apprentice, claims that US presidential candidate Trump – then newly married to current wife Melania – kissed her on the lips after a job interview. ‘I was very taken aback by that at the time,’ she admits.

The incident occurred in the same year Donald was filmed bragging about his treatment of ‘beautiful women’, claiming ‘I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, grab them by the pussy’. Last week, amidst international outrage over the leaked footage, he apologised but dismissed it as ‘locker-room talk’.

Picture: The Apprentice

Jennifer recalls: ‘He walked me to the elevator, and I said goodbye. I was thinking ‘oh, he’s going to hug me’, but when he pulled my face in and gave me a smooch. I was like “oh kay.” I didn’t know how to act. I was just a little taken aback and probably turned red. And I then I get into the elevator and thought “huh, Donald Trump just kissed me on the lips.”’

Jennifer, who plans to vote for Trump, reveals how the man she describes as her ‘mentor’ first singled her out back stage at one of his Miss USA pageants in 2004. While she didn’t win the event, Trump gave her his business card as she expressed an interest in competing in The Apprentice. A couple of months later she flew to San Diego to audition for his show which is when she next encountered him. ‘That’s when he said “Jennifer, you’re just so beautiful” and that made me turn red,’ she said. ‘It made me feel special, that Donald Trump saw things in me.’

Jennifer on The Apprentice

Jennifer, who was fired on the sixth episode of the season’s show, tells Grazia’s Emily Phillips that immediately after this she received a call from the mogul approaching her with further employment opportunities with him.

‘The day after he fired me from the show, he called me and said, “I still want to offer you a job, because I was very impressed with you.” He said, “The producers won’t allow me to offer you a job until the day after the finale in New York, but after that I’d like to meet with you.” So I did meet with him in his office and he gave me different job offers.’ Jennifer says it was during one of these meetings in his office that he kissed her.

‘I think maybe in his mind he may have thought of me and maybe fantasised, or romantically, but I didn’t feel at the end of the day he would take action,’ she said. ‘I would hope that he would be true to his marriage, and I was also engaged at the time.’

Jennifer in a still from her 'Vote Trump' video on YouTube

Jennifer also claims that Trump made many on and off-screen comments on the show that would have to be edited.

‘Even when we were filming The Apprentice, he would make quite a few comments before the camera was rolling, or even when the camera was rolling, that the producers would be sure to edit out,’ she said. ‘They wouldn’t want Donald Trump’s statements to me about, “Oh have you always been this beautiful?” or “Jennifer, I would have picked you as Miss USA.” They wanted him to keep it more about business. But I will say he was always very respectful of my business acumen, even though he made a lot of statements and was very flirtatious with me.’

‘I don’t want him to ever feel I’m throwing him under the bus, because I’m not,’ she added. ‘I was surprised, but then it didn’t really bother me because I didn’t feel he was being degrading, or he was being dishonest to Melania.’

‘You can see that he gravitates towards beautiful women. I would say he would probably put his arm around a woman, or if he sees a buddy, maybe pat him on the shoulder, but that’s typical for strong, powerful men that love beautiful women. He’s very charismatic. He’s very charming in person.

‘I ended up declining his job offers, which I think took him aback,’ she continued. ‘I don’t think he was used to being turned down. He wants to have what he wants to have, but that is probably a common trait in someone that can lead big companies and can even be the president. They’re going to go for what they want and if they don’t get it, they want it that much more.’