All of Donald Trump's 'Real Housewives' Connections Explained
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After President Donald Trump appointed Real Housewives alum Siggy Flicker to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's board of trustees, his connection to the television show has been further analyzed.
Trump has been linked to several stars of the reality TV franchise before and during his time in office.
Why It Matters
Trump has appointed many of his business connections and donors during his presidency, with some Americans feeling the appointees were unqualified or misaligned with the government roles for which they were chosen.
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 5 in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 5 in Washington, D.C.What To Know
Here's a list of the Real Housewives franchise stars linked to the president, including Flicker from Real Housewives of New Jersey, as well as Lisa Rinna and Joe Giudice:
Siggy Flicker
Flicker this month was appointed to the board of the Holocaust museum, which works to fight antisemitism with its exhibitions, training programs and education. All council members appointed by the president serve a five-year term.
Flicker, who is Jewish, was born in Israel and has made her support for Israel known on social media in recent months. Her father, Mordecai Paldiel, escaped Nazi-occupied Belgium at just 3 years old.
Flicker has been publicly supportive of Trump in recent years, saying she voted Republican for the first time in the 2016 election. Flicker first met Trump after he became president through her friend and Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba.
'The Celebrity Apprentice' Connections
Lisa Rinna
Rinna, actress and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, was on Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice show.
Nene Leakes and Brandi Glanville, of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame, respectively, also had their own appearances on Trump's show, which featured stars competing for money to help their favorite charities.
Another Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Kyle Richards, was seen on The New Celebrity Apprentice show in 2017.
Joe Giudice
Giudice, a notable Real Housewives of New Jersey star, asked Trump for help in gaining U.S. citizenship in January.
The entrepreneur said he was hopeful Trump's reelection would help him get back to the U.S., where he's lived his whole life. His wife Teresa appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012.
"When I met Trump, I mean, he was very nice to me," Giudice said, as reported by People. "I was very nice to him when we were on his show over there. I don't know. I mean, I think he should get me back."
Giudice and his wife Teresa were indicted on federal fraud charges in 2013, and the former TV star was deported back to his birthplace of Italy in 2019.
But Teresa called Trump "broke" on Watch What Happens Live. Host Andy Cohen later revealed that Trump called afterward and was "furious."
"He was like, 'You need to do a retraction!' It was a whole thing," Cohen said, as reported by Yahoo.
Cohen said Teresa "wound up posting a retraction or something" about Trump, who ran in the same circles as she and her husband.
What People Are Saying
Flicker wrote in a May 5 Instagram post: "President Trump... Thank you for the privilege (and) honor to represent and NEVER FORGET."
Trump wrote in a May 6 post on Truth Social about his appointments: "They are all strong supporters of Israel, and will ensure we, NEVER FORGET. Congratulations to all!"
What Happens Next
Trump has continued bringing in several appointees for government positions. His new head of Social Security, Frank Bisignano, has pledged to overhaul the Social Security Administration's operations by using private-sector efficiency.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Bisignano described the agency's overpayment rate of 1 percent as "five decimal places too high" and emphasized his intention to reduce improper payments through technology upgrades and artificial intelligence tools.
"At the end of the day, we need to evaluate the ability to pay back and work it out. ... I'm going to make sure we recover all the money we should recover, but on the other hand, we need to be humans in the process too," Bisignano added.
Linda McMahon, appointed as education secretary, is making major changes to the Department of Education, causing millions of federal student loan borrowers to see higher monthly payments.
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