Trump bragged about private calls with world leaders, Australian billionaire recounts in secret recordings
Billionaire Mar-a-Lago member Anthony Pratt tells anecdotes about Trump's big mouth in secret recordings
![Donald Trump and Anthony Pratt](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Y2MTSVHr3pwijYSkV9x2To-415-80.png)
Former President Donald Trump "says outrageous things nonstop," runs his business "like the mafia," wanted Melania Trump to show off in a bikini at Mar-a-Lago "so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing," and talked about private conversations with world leaders, Australian cardboard magnate Anthony Pratt said in secret recordings obtained by "60 Minutes Australia" and The New York Times and broadcast Sunday night.
It isn't clear who Pratt is speaking to, but ABC News reported earlier this month that he told at least 45 people, including journalists, about sensitive U.S. military information Trump had allegedly shared with him.
Pratt paid $200,000 to join Mar-a-Lago soon after Trump was elected president, and he was pretty open about the transactional reasons he wanted to befriend him, the Times detailed. The relationship was mutually beneficial: Pratt poured money into Mar-a-Lago, credited Trump for creating jobs when he opened a new plant in Ohio and praised Trump in paid newspaper advertising; Trump's 2017 tax cuts increased Pratt's personal wealth by more than $2 billion, The Australian Financial Review estimated.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For his largess and flattery, Pratt got insider information, the recordings suggested. In December 2019, "it hadn't even been on the news yet," and Trump "said, 'I just bombed Iraq today and the president of Iraq called me up and said, you just leveled my city,'" Pratt recounted in one recording. "And he said, 'I said to him, okay, what are you going to do about it?'" Trump also suggested his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, the focus of his first impeachment, was actually pretty mild. "That was nothing compared to what I usually do," Pratt recalled Trump saying.
A Trump spokesman said the information was from "sources which totally lack proper context and relevant information."
Pratt has reportedly given a statement to the FBI and is a potential witness in special counsel Jack Smith's case against Trump's handling of national security secrets.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published
-
Iran: does Masoud Pezeshkian's election mark a turning point?
Talking Point New president is seen as a progressive but much will depend on how the US reacts
By The Week UK Published
-
'Although we can't eliminate political violence, we can minimize it'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published