When Actress Candice Bergen Opened Up About an Awkward Date With Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump, known for his controversial relationships and statements about women, has faced numerous accusations of sexual assault from 19 women, including writer E. Jean Carroll. Despite these allegations and indictments on multiple criminal charges, Trump maintains he is a champion of women, but not everyone shares that sentiment.

One individual who wasn't impressed by Trump is actor Candice Bergen, best known for her role in Murphy Brown. She recently revealed details about her date with the former president when she was just 18 years old and attending the Wharton School of Business.

Bergen recalled her underwhelming date with Trump while discussing her experiences with her Book Club co-stars, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, and Diane Keaton. She mentioned that the date took place when she was 18, in her first year of college, and it left much to be desired. "I was home by 9:00. I mean, it was really a dud," she said per EW.

According to Bergen, she only agreed to the date because she was bored. Trump had called her into her dorm, and she decided to give it a shot. While she acknowledged that Trump was a "nice-looking guy," she described the evening as uneventful.

Bergen's most vivid memory of the date was Trump's outfit, which she found memorable but not necessarily in a positive way. She mentioned that he arrived wearing a burgundy three-piece suit and burgundy patent leather boots, with the whole ensemble matching his burgundy limousine.

In contrast to Bergen's indifference, Trump was reportedly quite enamored with her. In a 2015 interview with The Boston Globe, he described Candice as "so beautiful" and mentioned that she was dating older men from Paris, France, at the time. Despite their one-time encounter, Bergen made it clear that their shared history did not translate into political support. She backed Hillary Clinton during Trump's presidential campaign. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that Trump had been "very nice" to her after their date night.

In a 2018 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Bergen reiterated that there was "no physical contact whatsoever" during her date with Trump. While she admitted he was physically attractive, she didn't hold back when describing her impression of him, simply saying, "a douche." Bergen's foray into mixing politics with pleasure didn't stop with Trump. In 2018, she appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and revealed that she had also gone on a date with ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

When asked to compare her experiences with Trump and Kissinger, Bergen declared, Kissinger was the better date. While Bergen may have had a few interesting dates with prominent figures, she eventually found lasting love elsewhere. She married French film director Louis Malle in 1985, and the couple had a daughter named Chloe Malle.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 30, 2023. It has since been updated.