President Donald Trump told reporters Friday, March 27, 2009 at 8:00 pm This is the first time that Madeleine Westerhout had left her "hurtful" comments about her children during an off-the-record dinner with journalists.
"I really think she had a bad night," he told reporters on his way to Camp David. "I think it was unfortunate." Still, he added, "you did not say things like she said, which were just a little bit hurtful to some people. She mentioned a couple of things about my children. "(See the video above.)
Despite that, he appeared compassionate about Westerhout's situation.
"She called me. She was very upset, she was very down, "Trump said. "It's too bad. I wish her well. "Trump, who called Westerhout, 27, a" very good person "who did a great job, did not say if she had been fired or had resigned, only that her departure Thursday was" automatic. "
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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 2: Madeleine Westerhout watches as President Donald Trump speaks with a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, Feb. 02, 2018. President Donald Trump spoke to reporters and members of the media about the release of a secret memo on the F.B.I.'s role in the Russia inquiry. (Photo by Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 2: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Madeleine Westerhout watch as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with North Korean defectors in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, Feb. 02, 2018. President Donald Trump spoke to reporters and members of the media about the release of a secret memo on the F.B.I.'s role in the Russia inquiry. (Photo by Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump's personal secretary Madeleine Westerhout, left, and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, right, carry bottles of water for members of the media staked out on the South Lawn to train North Korean military intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol meets with President Donald Trump in the Office Oval, Friday, June 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
Staffer Madeleine Westerhout escorts train Texas Rep. Henry Bonilla to a meeting with Donald Trump President-elect and his transition team, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump's personal secretary Madeleine Westerhout stands outside the Oval Office and watches the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the White House in Washington DC, Monday, April 2, 2018. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
President-elect Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, right, accompanied by Madeleine Westerhout of the Republican National Committee, left, arrives at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, enters Trump Tower with Trump to help Madeleine Westerhout, before meeting President-elect Donald Trump, Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo / Kathy Willens)
Retired Admiral James Stavridis (L), Dean of Fletcher School at Tufts University is escorted by Madeleine Westerhout as he arrives at Trump Tower on December 8, 2016 in New York. / AFP / Dominick Reuter (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER / AFP / Getty Images)
Randall Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AT & T is escorted by Madeleine Westerhout as he arrives for meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., January 12, 2017. REUTERS / Mike Segar
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is escorted by Madeleine Westerhout as he arrives for a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., January 9, 2017. REUTERS / Mike Segar
Former US Representative Henry Bonilla (R) is escorted by Republican National Committee staff member Madeleine Westerhout as he arrives to meet US President-elect Donald Trump at the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, US December 30, 2016. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst
U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) is escorted by RNC employee Madeleine Westerhout as he arrives to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., November 29, 2016. REUTERS / Mike Segar
Marion C. Blakey, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Rolls-Royce North America Inc. is escorted by RNC employee Madeleine Westerhout as she arrives to meet US President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, US, November 29, 2016. REUTERS / Mike Segar
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is escorted by RNC employee Madeleine Westerhout as he arrives to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 21, 2016. REUTERS / Brendan McDermid TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Politico reported Saturday that Westerhout resigned because she had mocked Trump's relationship with her children at an Aug. 17 dinner at the president's golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
After a "couple of drinks," she was told that Ivanka and Tiffany Trump were closer to their father, two sources told Politico. She also said that the president was so unfamiliar with Tiffany that he could not pick her out in a crowd. The New York Times reported that she was talking about Trump's eating clothes, his thoughts on Tiffany's appearance, and his youngest sound, Barron.
Trump told reporters: "Tiffany is great. I love Tiffany. "The president said he would call his younger daughter when he reached Camp David.
Westerhout, a former Republican Party aide, has been with Trump since he was elected.
Trump scolded the "dishonest media" for ignoring the rules of an off-the-record dinner. "This was an off-the-record dinner and the media blatantly violated that agreement," an official administration told Politico. Westerhout's confidences, however, only appeared to the White House, and not to the public.
A friend of Donald Trump Jr. accused Phil Rucker of the Washington Post of "burning" Westerhout.
But Steven Ginsberg, national editor at The Washington Post, said in a statement to Politics that Rucker is "one of the best and most scrupulous reporters in the news business. He has always had the honor and integrity of Washington Post standards or policies. "
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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