Emma Thompson recalls Trump dating offer

Dame Emma Thompson recounts a call from Donald Trump offering a dinner the day her divorce became official, shared during Locarno Film Festival remarks.

Emma Thompson recalls Trump dating offer the day she got divorced

Dame Emma Thompson told a Locarno Film Festival audience that Donald Trump called her on the day her divorce from Kenneth Branagh became official. She says the future president spoke from a place of personal invitation, suggesting dinner and a stay at one of his properties, while she was in her trailer during the filming of Primary Colours in 1998.
The Telegraph reported that Thompson initially thought the call was a joke, and she described how Trump introduced himself before making the invitation. The moment is framed as a surprising personal anecdote rather than a political statement.

The anecdote sits at the intersection of celebrity culture and politics, a reminder that public figures can cross paths in not-so-predictable ways. It also highlights how early public figures outsize impact on media narratives, even before a political career. Thompson’s retelling at a film festival adds a layer of playful critique about how such moments could have altered public memory if they had unfolded differently.
Her remarks come with Thompson’s long track record as a political activist, which colors how readers interpret the story. The memory work around famous names can become a lens for examining power, image management, and how history is told in public forums.

Highlights

Public memory can bend facts, so this tale reminds us to separate celebrity lore from history.