President Donald Trump was widely discussed years ago after he was photographed appearing to kiss former Miss Albania, Angela Martini, in 2011, despite being married to Melania Trump. The incident happened during a Miss Universe photoshoot in New York, where Martini was invited as a former contestant.
The photos circulating at the time created the impression of a kiss on the lips, but now, nearly 15 years later, Angela Martini tells Daily Mail what really happened.
She recalls that during rehearsals for Miss Universe 2010, where she competed for Albania, Trump had suddenly noticed her while she was sitting in a corner, upset because of what she called “favoritism.”
She says:
“I saw people who were supposed to be neutral, but they were favoring certain girls from the beginning.”
According to Martini, Trump had asked the former Miss Universe president, Paula Shugart, who the Albanian girl was. Shugart had replied:
“She’s very difficult, she has an attitude, she doesn’t follow the rules.”
Nevertheless, Trump insisted on meeting her. Angela says he approached her, introduced himself, and then told Shugart:
“I want her to shine.”
Angela finished sixth at Miss Universe 2010 and says Trump was respectful and professional the entire time:
“He was very kind. He never flirted. He was very professional.”
These statements contradict previous accusations made by some former contestants, which Trump’s staff has called “baseless.”
The famous “kiss” that went viral
In 2011, a photo of her with Trump became international news because it appeared as though they were kissing. But Angela clarifies: “It was just an optical illusion.”
She explains that the camera angle distorted the moment, making it look more intimate than it actually was. They had simply given each other a cheek kiss.
“It wasn’t real, but it looks strange in the photo because another girl beside us also has a weird expression, as if she’s shocked,” she explains.
She says she was harshly judged by the public at the time, but she didn’t let it affect her because, as she puts it: “I know my truth.” Trump and his team never contacted her afterwards because “there was nothing real about it.”
Angela adds that years later she met Trump and Melania again, and both were “very kind.”
“I’ve always had a very respectful relationship with him. I never felt any bad energy.”
The short romance with Kanye West
After Miss Universe, Angela says she was once randomly called by Kanye West after he saw her at a red carpet event and somehow found her number. He invited her to lunch at ABC Kitchen in New York.
She recalls:
“He was with his bodyguard, and he was just complimenting my watch and bag. He likes noticing small fashion details.”
Later, Kanye invited her to the studio so she could listen to his new music projects, but the connection faded quickly because Angela often got bored.
She says Kanye would tell her:
“How can you be bored with me? Everyone wants to be here listening to this new music,”
and Angela would reply:
“Yes, but I don’t want to stay here all day listening to music. I want to do other things.”
Later that year, Kanye called her to say they had to stop seeing each other because he was about to start dating Kim Kardashian.
Love, marriage and a difficult divorce
Angela later married Romanian businessman Dragos Săvulescu, who for years faced accusations of corruption and embezzlement—accusations from which he was eventually acquitted. But in October, she filed for divorce.
She says:
“We had a very beautiful, intense, and extremely difficult story. We were fighting against a system. But the weight remains. I felt it was the right thing at that moment.”
