On March 1, former Miss USA, Tara Conner, wrote an op-ed expressing her gratitude to President Trump for his role in helping her make the confronting steps to turn her life away from substance addiction.
Conner describes her turmoil when growing up. She was molested by her uncle at the age of 3. Years later, Conner has generously expressed empathy toward her parents’ failure to support her in her struggles. She said her world as a child was filled with extreme loneliness and pain.
At 14, Conner was exposed to alcohol when seeking refuge from her parents recent divorce and her grandfather’s death. A year later, Conner found herself addicted to morphine.
Conner explains that she attempted to escape her pained existence by keeping up appearances. She was a grade-A student and experienced success as a business woman and model. Her efforts led her to be crowned Miss USA 2006 when she was 20 years old. But the beauty pageant winner nearly lost her title after she tested positive for cocaine in December 2006.
Speaking at a community event, Conner retells her conversation with Trump before the press conference about her cocaine use, “I go up to Mr. Trump’s office, and he goes, ‘What am I supposed to do about this? You’re going out, you’re dancing on tables, what are you doing?’ And I said, ‘Listen Mr. Trump, I think it would say far more about the organization, far more about your character, if you gave me the opportunity to turn this around and gave me some help.’ And he liked that idea, and he said, ‘OK, obviously you’re going to need some treatment or some therapy.’”
