Steph McGovern has reflected on her interviews with Donald Trump and his former rival Hillary Clinton, recalling the moment she branded the former US President "creepy" and the personal letters she receives from Clinton.
Interview with Trump in 2012
Speaking to Best Magazine, the 44-year-old presenter said she still pinches herself "all the time" that she gets to present for a living, particularly when she gets to interview big names. She shared: "Obviously the biggest one is interviewing Donald Trump and being one of the only UK journalists to do so. It's like, 'I have interviewed an American President!'"
Steph interviewed Trump for BBC Breakfast in 2012, before he became President. During the chat, he discussed his life, the US election, and more informally, how he relaxes and his hair. He also claimed that people really need to enjoy what they do and said that they should never quit. At the time, he additionally touched upon unemployment in America and shared his views on the British version of The Apprentice.
Reflecting on the encounter
Reflecting on the interview during an episode of Have I Got News For You in 2018, Steph claimed Trump told her she was "so beautiful" and said: "I'm going to leave the room to make myself look better, because if we do this interview now everyone is just going to be staring at you and not listening to me."
After pretending to gag, she added: "It's because he thought that would be the best way to disarm me. He thought as a female journalist, he thought that was the best thing to say to me rather than, 'Oh, I watched your piece on mobile phone insurance last week'." Steph insisted she was unruffled by the comments at the time and told him: "Aye love, I've heard better lines than that down Club Bongo."
Hillary Clinton letters
Steph has also interviewed Hillary Clinton, who went head-to-head with Trump in the 2016 US presidential election, multiple times. During their most recent encounter last year, the pair discussed what it is like to be women in leadership and the challenges they have both faced along the way.
She added: "One of my pinch-me moments is after I've done an interview with her, she'll send me a letter on headed Hilary Clinton paper. In the last one I got, it said, 'My friend...' And I was like, Oh my God! I keep getting them framed because they're so good."
The broadcaster returns to screens tonight with her new show, The Big Deal with Steph McGovern. The series follows seven pairs of aspiring art dealers as they compete to spot emerging talent, negotiate deals and turn a profit, all for the chance to win £50,000 worth of brilliant British art. The Big Deal with Steph McGovern airs tonight at 8pm on BBC Two.
