
WASHINGTON—In response to former aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman releasing a conversation between the two of them that he didn’t know was being taped, President Donald Trump reportedly condemned White House staffers’ use of a secret recording studio Monday. “I’m shocked and completely furious that people who I generously gave jobs in my administration would turn around and use a secret recording studio during meetings,” said the president, criticizing staffers who constructed a soundproof live room, vocal isolation booth, and mixing console in the West Wing to record, monitor, and master his statements in high fidelity without his knowledge. “I trusted these people not to sit me down and do a soundcheck, request that I do multiple takes, and play back my statements in the room until everyone agrees we’ve got what we’re looking for. I had no idea Omarosa was making suggestions about my microphone placement in between working with the audio engineer during takes, and, frankly, it’s a disgrace.” At press time, Trump criticized the anonymous leak by someone in his administration of a previously unreleased 13,680-hour recording of his entire presidency on iTunes and Spotify.