Donald Trump at Studio 54: “He was never on the dancefloor"

Donald Trump and his relationship with New York nightclub Studio 54 was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 programme last night.

The United States president visited the venue - popular with celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Grace Jones in the 1970s and '80s - on numerous occasions, one time being after his honeymoon with first wife Ivana Trump.

Following party host Nikki Haskell commenting that Trump was fully focused on his business ventures rather than partying, programme presenter Frances Stonor-Saunders revealed the reasons he was there.

"He understood it was an opportunity to be grabbed. He was not there for the drug-fueled disco deliria. He was there to be seen with the famous people to network, to cut the deal; whilst everyone else cut the coke.”

Studio 54 waiter Richie Notar added: “No one remembered him being there the first night. He was a non-entity. He was never on the dancefloor."

Celebrities who attended the club included John Travolta, Cher, David Bowie, Andy Warhol and Grace Jones.

Haskell also remembered the first time she met Trump: “I thought he was fabulous. He caught my eye immediately. He had big dreams and he was very outspoken. It was at a time in NYC where it was at a standstill and Donald really saw new horizons for different real-estate projects."

See who Trump was surrounding himself with at Studio 54 here and here.

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter