National Enquirer reportedly bought and never published a doorman's salacious rumor about Trump


The National Enquirer paid a former doorman of one of President Trump's New York City buildings $30,000 in 2015 for rights to a rumor he'd heard about Trump allegedly fathering an illegitimate child in the 1980s with one of his employees, then killed the story, The Associated Press and The New Yorker report. The doorman, Dino Sajudin, apparently faced a $1 million penalty if he discussed the story with anyone else.
Sajudin went as far as to take a lie-detector test to prove to American Media Inc. — the publisher of the National Enquirer — that high-level employees in the Trump organization had personally told him the rumors. The New Yorker says it could not independently verify that Trump fathered an illegitimate child, and the family of the daughter named in the rumors denied them, or declined to comment. Regardless, "AMI's payment to Sajudin is significant because it establishes the company's pattern of buying and burying stories that could be damaging to Trump during the presidential campaign," The New Yorker writes.
AMI claims Sajudin's story was never published because it couldn't be proven. "I do not believe that story was true," said one of the reporters, Sharon Churcher. "I believed from the beginning it was not true." Another former AMI reporter, Jerry George, wasn't so sure: "AMI doesn't go around cutting checks for $30,000 and then not using the information," he said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Eight months after Sajudin's contract, the National Enquirer paid $150,000 to a former Playboy playmate who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. Likewise, the publication never ran the story, a tactic known as "catch and kill." Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, also paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the election to keep quiet about her own claims regarding an affair with Trump. Read the full report about Sajudin's claims at The New Yorker and The Associated Press.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?
Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summer
The Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges