Cheryl Burke had an awkward encounter with former president Donald Trump while she was changing her clothes. On Thursday, the Dancing with the Stars pro appeared on the E! series Overserved, which is hosted by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump. Burke recalled how Trump barged into her dressing room without knocking or asking permission. She also revealed the odd way that he shook her hand.
The incident took place years before Trump’s former press secretary, Sean Spicer, competed against Burke on DWTS.
Trump’s Handshake Left Quite An Impression On Burke
As reported by Just Jared, Burke’s run-in with Trump occurred when she appeared on The Meredith Vieira Show in 2014. She shared her recollection of their interaction when Vanderpump asked her who has the “best handshake” out of the men she’s met.
“I’m going to say something that I’m probably going to regret,” Burke said. “No necessarily the best handshake, but the most memorable handshake was Donald Trump.”
Vanderpump let out a surprised laugh, and she told Burke that she had worked with Trump when she was a Miss Universe judge.
Trump Was Unapologetic
Burke said that her name was on the door of her dressing room, but this didn’t prevent Trump from letting himself in unannounced.
“And grabbed you by the p****,” Vanderpump joked.
Burke said that she was in the process of changing and was “barely covered.” Vanderpump asked her if Trump apologized for his intrusion or backed out of the room, and Burke said that he did not.
“Thank god my agent was in there with me, so she helped me,” she stated. “And then he’s like, ‘Nice to meet you. I’m a huge fan.'”
Trump’s Dressing Room Confession
When Trump owned Miss USA and Miss Universe, he admitted that he would go backstage during pageants and see the contestants undressed. As reported by PolitiFact, he boasted to Howard Stern that he was allowed to do so because he was the owner and was “inspecting” the dressing area.
“You know, they’re standing there with no clothes. ‘Is everybody okay?’ And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that,” Trump said.
A few Miss Teen USA contestants have accused Trump of walking in on them while they were getting dressed.
Burke Describes Trump’s Handshake Addition
Instead of offering an apology to Burke and exiting the dressing room, she said that Trump shook her hand.
“And he shook with a firm grip, eye contact, and the middle finger just—it was a little finger rub. Two strokes. One, Two. Out. And I was like, ‘Oh, god.'”
Her tale was met with an “Ugh!” from Vanderpump’s other guest, comedian Gabriel Iglesias. Vanderpump asked Burke if she thought the handshake was “impressive,” and she said that this was not the case. She reiterated that she only considered it “memorable.”
“I have to say, on Miss Universe, I didn’t get the middle finger treatment,” Vanderpump remarked. “I don’t think he had the hots for me.”
