As an eight-time host of Donald Trump's beauty pageants, Billy Bush joked about wanting to see a naked version of the swimsuit competition and said he kept a “very close, protective eye” on the women competing for crowns.
Those were the comments deemed appropriate for prime-time television. The way Bush and Trump talked about women in private can be heard on a 2005 recording, published last week by The Washington Post, that revealed troubling banter about kissing and groping without consent.
By the time Trump and Bush had their now-infamous conversation aboard an “Access Hollywood” bus en route to a taping of “Days of Our Lives,” Bush already had hosted Trump's Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants three times each, which helps explain the boorish bromance apparent on video.
“You're my man,” Bush says in footage obtained by The Post, as Trump leaves to film a scene for the soap opera.
The feeling appears to have been mutual. Trump, who co-owned the pageants from 1996 to 2015 and was the executive producer of NBC's telecasts, made Bush a regular presence on the stage, pairing him with four different female co-hosts.
Trump's conduct as a pageant owner has been scrutinized in the press since the first presidential debate, in September, when Hillary Clinton invoked former Miss Universe Alicia Machado's claim that Trump called her “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping.” CNN on Saturday published excerpts from a 2005 interview in which Trump boasted to radio host Howard Stern about walking through the contestants' dressing room and seeing women “standing there with no clothes.”
“You see these incredible-looking women and, so, I sort of get away with things like that,” Trump said.
BuzzFeed on Wednesday published the claims of four former Miss Teen USA contestants who say Trump also walked backstage while they were changing.
What comes through in some of Bush's remarks as a pageant host is the same kind of drooling-dog persona — cleaned up a bit for network television. In clips of pageant broadcasts available on the Internet, Bush often projects a Trump-like attitude, basking in the presence of beautiful women and cracking jokes about how lucky he and the male judges are to be there.
“There are many ways to see the world, but I have to say, here and now, this might be the best,” Bush said at the top of the Miss Universe telecast in 2003, flanked by pageant winners from 71 countries.
“It's a tough job you've got tonight, buddy,” Bush's co-host, Daisy Fuentes, quipped. “I don't know how you pull it off.”
Later in the show, Bush approached the judges' table to commiserate with “Days of Our Lives” star Peter Reckell, who Bush said is “also surrounded by beautiful women all the time.”
“I'm glad they narrowed it down to 15 for us because all these women are spectacular,” Reckell said, playing off the “tough job” joke.
“You feel like it's almost unfair for you to be judging?” Bush asked. “Yeah,” Reckell answered, grinning.
At the start of the Miss USA broadcast a year later, Bush reprised the routine he had performed with Fuentes — this time with a new partner, Nancy O'Dell.
“Who says dreams don't come true?” Bush said. “Look at this: 51 of the most beautiful women from all over this great country.”
“You are having a good day, my friend, aren't you?” O'Dell asked — to which Bush replied, “I am.” He went on to say, “I know what goes on in Hollywood, and that's why I've kept a very close, protective eye on each and every one of these delegates this year. And I gotta say, life will never be the same.”
O'Dell worked with Bush at “Access Hollywood” at the time and is the “Nancy” Trump talked about trying to have sex with on the tape published last week by The Washington Post.
Before the swimsuit competition in 2004, O'Dell told viewers that “it's more about inner self-confidence.” Bush wasn't so sure.
“But, seriously,” he said, “if you happen to have inner self-confidence and you also look solid in a swimsuit, we will not hold that against you.”
“Of course you won't, Billy,” O'Dell replied.
Introducing the Miss USA swimsuit competition in 2005, O'Dell said the event is really about “inner confidence, strength, stamina." (Yes, she really said “strength” and “stamina.” It's almost like Trump wrote the script.) That led to this exchange:
BUSH: So, you're saying it could be argued that the fact they're only wearing a swimsuit and heels is not really the point.
O'DELL: Yeah.
BUSH: So they don't really need it.
O'DELL: Exactly. No. Billy Bu —
BUSH: Okay. While you're debating this at home, I will be enjoying the Miss USA 2005 swimsuit parade.
The role of the male host at a Trump-owned beauty pageant was basically to play a Trump-like character — a man orbited by beautiful women, letting the world know what a lucky guy he is. Bush played the part well.

Billy Bush is working on separation deal with NBC

 
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NBC and "Today" show co-host Billy Bush are working on a separation agreement after The Washington Post published a recording of a 2005 lewd conversation between Bush and Donald Trump. (Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/12/how-billy-bush-talked-about-women-as-host-of-donald-trumps-beauty-pageants/