Don’t Headliney grimace at in Trump here gropes, please PM words was warned here
IT IS a Westminster tradition for Prime Ministers to use the first Sunday back after New Year to outline their vision for the next 12 months in a major, set-piece TV interview.
On January 8, 2017, a new show was launching and its presenter was a woman. Sky’s Sophy Ridge had bagged the big interview for her first show.
During her preparations for the interview, Theresa May’s communications director Katie Perrior became concerned that Ridge could pull a stunt.
Donald Trump had just supplied the perfect question: what did Mrs May feel about newly unearthed video of the US President-elect saying his celebrity status gave him the ability to grope women whenever he liked, adding that you can ‘grab them by the p****’?
As she waited to collect the PM from her Sunday morning church service in Sonning, Berkshire, Perrior knew she would have to find a way to prepare her boss. She decided she would just have to say it.
‘Prime Minister, it’s possible she will be asked what you think of Donald Trump saying he can grab women by the p****.’ In the front seat of the Government Jaguar, the police protection officer snorted. Mrs May said: ‘Right. How would you like me to respond?’
Perrior told her the camera was likely to zoom in on her face in a close-up, because they would be expecting her to grimace in the way she sometimes does.
‘I don’t do that,’ the Prime Minister said.
‘You do,’ Perrior replied. ‘Don’t do it. ‘Keep completely and utterly still – poker face.
‘They want to be able to say, “this is the face Theresa May makes when she talks about Donald Trump”.’
In the end, Mrs May remained perfectly composed, waiting, expressionless, for Ridge to finish her question, before answering: ‘I think that’s unacceptable.’