Enquirer has often touted Trump and bashed his enemies
The National Enquirer’s coverage of President Trump — and sometimes lack thereof — has long been the subject of scrutiny, and is once again in the spotlight after it was revealed that publisher David Pecker was granted immunity by federal prosecutors.
A new report by The Associated Press, meanwhile, claims the Enquirer had a secret safe filled with stories that might be damaging to Trump, and documents connected to payments to keep people silent.
Here’s a look back at some of the National Enquirer stories that may have influenced the 2016 election in Trump’s favor. Hillary Clinton has ‘6 Months to Live’
This proclamation about the Democratic candidate was made on the front page of the supermarket tabloid in October 2015 and was accompanied by an article claiming Clinton’s health was in bad shape.
Of course, the headline proved to be untrue, as it’s been nearly three years since it was published.
The Enquirer has often published unflattering stories about Clinton . Claims Ted Cruz had five mistresses
A story from the magazine in early 2016 asserted that Cruz, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination, had multiple extramarital affairs.
Cruz denied the allegations and blamed Trump for their existence.
"It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen," the Texas politiwouldn’t cian said at the time.
Trump, meanwhile, denied having a connection to the report and said he didn’t know if it was true. JFK conspiracy theory
This cover story, also published in 2016, suggested Cruz’s father Rafael was with Lee Harvey Oswald three months before Oswald fatally shot John F. Kennedy. The report was based on a grainy black-and-white photo showing Oswald alongside another man that the magazine contended was Cruz’s dad.
Cruz slammed the story as “nuts,” while Trump gave it credence.
t nobody talks about it." Endorses Trump
In March 2016, Trump became the first candidate that the National Enquirer had ever endorsed for President.
Trump, meanwhile, wrote a piece for the Enquirer in August 2015 after he announced he was running for the Oval Office in which he stated his case to be elected. The banner headline on the front page read, “Charismatic billionaire Donald Trump writes exclusively for the Enquirer.” Catch-and-Kills
This past February, Karen McDougal claimed she had signed a $150,000 contract with American Media Inc. — the company behind the Enquirer — in 2016 that gave the publisher the rights to the former Playboy playmate’s stories about any relationships she had with married men.
A former doorman at the Trump World Tower, meanwhile, claimed in a statement in April that he had signed a $30,000 confidentiality deal with the media company that prevented him from speaking out about a rumor involving Trump having a love child.