Donald Trump says Meghan Markle is 'no good' after Oprah interview, doesn't want to be 'canceled' like Piers Morgan
Donald Trump is known for speaking (or tweeting) his mind. He's never backed away from saying what he feels, but it seems life post-Presidency is different. In an interview with Steve Bannon, Trump's former advisor Jason Miller admitted Trump had a strong reaction to Sussex's interview but decided not to go public with them. Was he scared of getting canceled like Piers Morgan?
It may seem so. Appearing on Bannon's podcast, Miller said Trump felt he could "make a little news" by sharing his reaction to the interview, but decided against it. The reason? "If you say anything negative about Meghan Markle you get canceled. Look at Piers," Trump said according to Miller.
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Piers Morgan, famous for his anti-Meghan stance, quit his job on Good Morning Britain (GMB) last week after receiving massive criticism for his comments on the interview. Morgan's statements ended up with Britain's communications regulator, Ofcom, receiving more than 41,000 complaints. The polarizing host has refused to walk back or even apologize for his comments since. Did the reaction to Morgan really scare Trump? It seems so.
Trump's feud with the Sussex's
Trump has in the past criticized the Sussexes publicly and privately. Back in 2019, Trump called Meghan "nasty" in an interview with The Sun. When the tape became public, he attempted to deny the statement in his typical fashion, calling the news "fake". In 2020, when asked about Meghan and Harry's video imploring citizens to vote, Trump replied, "I’m not a fan of hers, and I would say this, and she probably has heard that. I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he's going to need it."
When the couple decided to settle in the US, Trump flatly refused to pay for their security. "They must pay," he tweeted. It seems like no surprise then, when he told Miller, "Yeah, (Meghan's) no good. I said that and now everybody's seeing it." But stripped of his favorite microphone, Trump was unable to tweet that out. Instead, it seems he kept the thought to himself.
The reason? Trump seemed to have learned from what happened to Morgan. Interestingly, Trump has had no issue with complaining about the "cancel culture" in the past. The term has become a popular punching bag for both him and the Republican party in recent months, who have made the cultural war a key part of their political agenda. If the reaction against Morgan is anything to go by, there may just be a limit though that Trump knew he would cross.
Morgan 'canceled'
Following the bombshell interview, Morgan said he "didn't believe a word" on 'GMB'. He even walked off the set when colleague Alex Beresford criticized him for repeatedly trashing Meghan. Morgan then decided to quit but pressed his stance when asked by reporters. "If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it," he said.
In a statement, Morgan wrote that he "became the latest ''victim'' of the cancel culture that is permeating our country, every minute, of every hour, of everyday." The public backlash to Morgan has been so widespread, it has become a talking point for Fox News as well.
Already deeply unpopular, it seems that Trump wanted to avoid the ire of the public the same way Morgan did. Miller didn't elaborate, so we don't know if there is more to the story. However, there might be. Trump's controversial statements have led to criticism in the past, but it has only served to inspire Trump to double down. Post-presidency though, it seems, like Trump is giving more thought to his comments than before. Is that the effect of not having his favorite megaphone? Probably.