Shirley MacLaine Reflects on Meeting Donald Trump in the ’80s: ‘I Could See He Was Undressing Himself and Me’

Shirley MacLaine Reflects on Meeting Donald Trump in the ’80s: ‘I Could See He Was Undressing Himself and Me’

In her new memoir, The Wall of Life, Shirley MacLaine shares her experiences meeting 13 of the last 14 U.S. presidents, but one encounter stands out as particularly uncomfortable.

MacLaine recounted a visit to an apartment in Donald Trump’s 666 Fifth Avenue building in the 1980s. “There was a vacant apartment in that building,” she told PEOPLE. “I went up to look at it, and when I walked in, I found him there. We were in a room alone, and I could sense that he was undressing both himself and me in his mind. I got out of there very quickly. I didn’t take the apartment either—it was too expensive.”

Throughout her career, MacLaine has navigated a number of awkward moments with presidents. Notably, she performed at John F. Kennedy’s 1962 birthday party, where Marilyn Monroe famously serenaded him with her sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday.” However, her encounter with Trump was a step too far.

Of the last 14 presidents, the only one she didn’t meet was Richard Nixon, whom she described in her memoir: “I never encountered Nixon. I thought he was ridiculous and wouldn’t want to have met him.”

In addition to her political anecdotes, MacLaine shared humorous stories in The Wall of Life, including one under a photo with Morgan Freeman where she joked, “I propositioned him, and he turned me down.” She also revealed that she declined the role of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a part that ultimately earned Audrey Hepburn an Academy Award nomination and skyrocketed her career. “In 1961, they offered me the role,” MacLaine wrote. “I turned it down because I didn’t want to worry about my weight for all those outfits and fittings… I legendarily hated fittings. I also didn’t think the script was very good.”

Currently, Trump is involved in his own Hollywood saga, facing off against a film about his rise to power, The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi. The movie features Sebastian Stan as a young Trump under the mentorship of the controversial Roy Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong.

Shirley MacLaine Reflects on Meeting Donald Trump in the ’80s: ‘I Could See He Was Undressing Himself and Me’

When Trump criticized the film on Truth Social, calling it a “cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job,” Abbasi responded, offering to discuss it further despite his busy schedule promoting the film.

MacLaine’s memoir, The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from this Marvelous Lifetime, is available now in bookstores.

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