KING: And they stayed with you throughout the ordeal of the Lewinsky matter and the breast cancer?
TRIPP: Everything.
KING: Our guest is Linda Tripp. We will take a break and come back. And we're going to meet Allison, a lovely young lady, her daughter. Don't go away.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRIPP: A navy blue dress. Now, all I would say to you is, I know how you feel today, and I know why you feel the way you do today. But you have a very long life ahead of you, and I don't know what's going to happen to you. Neither do you. I don't know anything and you don't know anything. I mean, the future is a blank slate. I don't know what will happen. I would rather you had that in your possession if you need it years from now. That's all I'm going to say.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back in Los Angeles with Linda Tripp. And we are now joined by her lovely daughter Allison Tripp, who is -- how old are you, Allison?
ALLISON TRIPP, LINDA TRIPP'S DAUGHTER: 23.
KING: Finish college?
A. TRIPP: Yes.
KING: What school?
A. TRIPP: Radford University.
KING: Majored in?
A. TRIPP: Economics.
KING: Working yet?
A. TRIPP: Currently I'm working at (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Liquidators. It's the largest equine tack store in the country, actually.
KING: Horses?
A. TRIPP: Yes.
KING: You ride horses?
A. TRIPP: Yes.
KING: You're interested in horses?
A. TRIPP: Love them.
KING: How did you handle your mother's illness?
A. TRIPP: That was very, very difficult. I was luckily able to spend all of her treatments with her. It was...
KING: You went?
A. TRIPP: Yes. I went to the majority of them. And they took place over the summer. So although it was really tough for her, the heat, dealing with the chemo, and as we know, it was a pretty humid summer, I was able to be with her the whole time.
KING: Did you see the toenails come off?
A. TRIPP: I did see the lack thereof toenails, yes.
KING: The hair come off?
A. TRIPP: Yeah, that was pretty hard. But she was a toughy. She was a toughy. And we...
KING: What did it do to you emotionally?
A. TRIPP: It made me value her. I mean, I already valued her so much and looked up to her and admired her. But it just made me, you know, put into perspective life. And you know, I may not have her around me forever.
KING: We know about genealogy. Do you worry about yourself?
A. TRIPP: Absolutely, yes.
KING: Do you take care -- do you take exams?
A. TRIPP: I do. I do. I have yet to have a mammogram. But...
KING: But you're (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for that, right?
TRIPP: But you did have one.
A. TRIPP: Oh, yeah, I did. Didn't I?
KING: You forgot a mammogram?
A. TRIPP: When was that? Actually, that was when we went together, right?
TRIPP: Right.
A. TRIPP: ... to the Naval Hospital. Yeah, I did. But I think that age is actually 30 years old is when you really should start having routine mammograms. So.
KING: What do you make of your mother getting married?
A. TRIPP: I'm ecstatic for her. She's -- this is -- it's so strange to see her just so beaming. It's really wonderful.
KING: Did you know about this guy?
A. TRIPP: Yeah. Yeah. Actually...
KING: You mean you heard about him through the years?
A. TRIPP: Yeah, I heard about him, and I met him when I was much younger. And it's just wonderful. I mean, she's like a -- it's like she's starting all over.
KING: How did you tell her?
TRIPP: We didn't really have to, did we?
A. TRIPP: No. Not really. I pretty much assumed that they were a match made in heaven. And one of these days would tie the knot. So.
KING: Now, you were much younger when the whole thing, the Lewinsky thing went through, right?
A. TRIPP: Yeah, I was, what, 17?
TRIPP: 18.
KING: Late teens?
A. TRIPP: Yeah.
KING: How did that affect you, as a person and at school?
A. TRIPP: How did it affect me?
KING: Well, your name is Tripp. That is not a common name.
A. TRIPP: Well, that was -- yeah, kind of tough. I had to get comments here and there. Not so much at my college, though, before I went to Radford. So not so much there.
KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) school?
A. TRIPP: A lot of support there. In the Maryland area, when we were living in the Maryland area when this was all going on.
KING: Were you treated harshly at all?
A. TRIPP: Well, no, not too badly.
TRIPP: There were people who would make comments.
KING: I mean, wasn't your mother the snitch? You didn't run into that?
A. TRIPP: Oh, yes. Yes.
KING: How did you deal with it?
A. TRIPP: I just kind of had to, you know, take it with a grain of salt. Because everyone's entitled to their own opinion. They didn't know the full story, so, you know, you believe what you hear most of the time. And that's unfortunate.
KING: Did you ever meet Monica?
A. TRIPP: Yes, I did.
KING: Where was that, and what was it like?
A. TRIPP: It was actually -- I met her before the -- we had a Christmas party. And she came over to chat with my mom for a little bit, I guess. I don't know what about. But she was, you know -- she came across as a little flaky. Just a little flaky. And naive and young. And I was 18 at the time I think when that was happening. She might have been 22.
KING: You felt older than her?
A. TRIPP: A little bit. A little bit.
KING: When your mom had the work done and the plastic surgery, were you supportive?
A. TRIPP: Yes. Yes. I was there for her, too. It was a bit much, but...
TRIPP: She never thought it was necessary. So.
KING: Yeah, but look how great she looks.
A. TRIPP: Oh, she looks wonderful.
KING: Has she always been this supportive, Linda?
TRIPP: Allison?
KING: Yes.
TRIPP: Oh, 100 percent all the way.
KING: This is like an angel daughter?
TRIPP: She's not necessarily an angel, but she's very supportive. And I couldn't ask for a better daughter, truly. She gets it.
KING: Let's take a call. New Lennox, Illinois, hello.
CALLER: Yes, hi. Thanks for taking my call.
KING: Hi. Sure.
CALLER: Congratulations on your engagement, Linda.
TRIPP: Thank you.
CALLER: I was wondering about your son, what he's doing now and how he dealt with your cancer diagnosis?
KING: Good question. Ryan.
TRIPP: I think it was almost harder on Ryan than it was on Allison. I think everything has been harder on Ryan than it was on Allison.
KING: Is he older than you?
A. TRIPP: Yes. Yes. He's 28.
TRIPP: Because Ryan -- for Ryan, it's very hard for -- I mean, everyone has a mom. For Ryan, he was powerless to defend me. He had no voice. He had no voice during the Clinton impeachment. He wasn't interested in appearing on the cover of "GQ." He really just wanted his mom to be taken seriously. And I think with the breast cancer as well, he was sort of helpless to change it.
KING: Did he ever go with you to treatment?
TRIPP: No. No, Ryan doesn't deal well with this kind of thing.
KING: Hospitals are not his bag.
TRIPP: No, no. He's a wonderful young man. Has a great heart. But he doesn't deal as well with adversity as Allison does.
KING: You're all very close?
TRIPP: Yes.
A. TRIPP: Yes.
KING: What does Ryan do?
A. TRIPP: He works at a mortgage firm in Baltimore, Maryland, a broker.
KING: Is he married?
A. TRIPP: No. Not yet.
TRIPP: He's single.
KING: Do you have a boyfriend?
A. TRIPP: No, I do not.
KING: You must be chased. People must be after you.
A. TRIPP: No.
KING: No?
TRIPP: She did have a boyfriend.
A. TRIPP: Well, yeah.
TRIPP: At the moment...
A. TRIPP: Staying clear. Staying clear.
KING: We're going to go to break, come back, take a few more phone calls for Linda Tripp. Her daughter Allison Tripp will remain with us. And as we go to break, here's Linda with -- what's his name again -- I want to get it right.
TRIPP: Dieter.
A. TRIPP: Dieter. KING: How does he spell it?
TRIPP: D-I-E-T-E-R.
KING: Oh, Dieter?
TRIPP: Yes.
A. TRIPP: Dieter.
KING: With (ph) the (ph) Dieter. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an order for you. Yes. How many you like?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three hundred and one when these are bound.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I like that one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Linda Tripp and Allison Tripp. What is this story you have, you and your fiance?
TRIPP: Dieter has a shop called the Christmas Sleigh in Middleburg, Virginia. It's a wonderful European shop. Specializes in beautiful hand-made European -- that's what makes it unique, it's all European.
KING: And you brought something tonight?
TRIPP: I did. This was actually made in Germany. But it was...
KING: An ornament?
TRIPP: Designed by me. And it depicts the first White House in 1800. It's a limited edition. And the proceeds go to kids with cancer.
KING: In the back it says, "The President's House, 1800." They didn't call it the White House?
TRIPP: No, they didn't call it the White House. And it was inspired by something John Adams...
KING: Beautiful.
TRIPP: ... wrote to his wife Abigail on his second night in the White House. It was not a wonderful Christmas for him. And it -- what he wrote to her was, and that's what inspired this ornament, "I pray to heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." And that was sort of the inspiration for this ornament.
KING: It is beautiful. It will be up on the King tree.
TRIPP: Great.
KING: To Toronto, hello.
CALLER: Hello.
KING: Toronto, yes, go ahead.
CALLER: Hi. I love your show, Larry.
KING: Thank you.
CALLER: If I understood Linda earlier on, she mentioned that since 1993, there had been things going on in the White House. Could she have not brought something out before the Clinton-Lewinsky affair?
KING: OK.
TRIPP: That's a very good question. And I ask you once again to put yourself in any civil servant's shoes. Because as a federal civil servant, if you're witnessing abuse and corruption, particularly in the White House, where do you go? That's the nexus for the Integrity and Accountability in Government Foundation of which I'm executive director. Now, there is a place for people to go. I had nowhere to go.
KING: And the White House is not covered?
TRIPP: They are not covered by the Privacy Act. They need -- people need help.
KING: And you can get more information at Lindatripp.com.
Vancouver, British Columbia, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Happy belated birthday.
KING: Thank you.
CALLER: Hi, Linda.
TRIPP: Hi.
CALLER: I was wondering, was your life ever threatened for revealing the truth about the Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair?
TRIPP: Yes, repeatedly. And in fact, threats were made on the lives of my children as well.
KING: You received a threat, Allison?
A. TRIPP: It was actually left on my father's answering machine.
KING: A threat of harming you?
A. TRIPP: Yeah. Yes.
TRIPP: Yes.
KING: Did you report it?
A. TRIPP: I don't know.
KING: Did you?
TRIPP: I believe, I believe her father did, yes.
KING: Freehall, New Jersey, hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Hi, Linda.
TRIPP: Hi.
CALLER: You are a hero for telling the truth. And I wanted to ask you, how do you deal with all this anger that people have towards you? You're remarkable.
TRIPP: Thank you. What I've always told my kids, and Allison can confirm this, is actions speak louder than words. My actions over the last five years should be pretty clear evidence that this was not about self-enrichment, political gain, partisan interest. It was about good government. It was about right and wrong. And so I've had this steady belief over time that people would come to understand this, particularly in light of what happened post-Monica Lewinsky in the Clinton White House.
KING: We only have a minute. Do you think history's going to vindicate you?
TRIPP: I think history will see things through a prism that will make it easier to understand that it wasn't black and white. It wasn't Linda Tripp betrayer, Bill Clinton victim. Instead, it was a president who was fixing a court case.
KING: Good luck in the nuptials.
TRIPP: Thank you.
KING: Good luck with the health.
TRIPP: Thank you so much.
KING: When do you go for your next checkup?
TRIPP: Soon. Three weeks.
KING: Don't put it off.
TRIPP: I will not.
A. TRIPP: I won't let her.
KING: Stay healthy.
TRIPP: Thank you.
A. TRIPP: Thank you.
KING: Thank you, Allison.
TRIPP: Thank you for having us.
KING: Our guests have been Linda Tripp for most of the hour, and in the last moments, her daughter, Allison Tripp. For more information on the Integrity Foundation, it's LindaTripp.com. And Linda is now officially engaged, and will be marrying in the spring.
And I'll be back and tell you about tomorrow night's program right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tomorrow night, we'll meet "The Bachelorette." Yes, Trista, and her new husband, Ryan, of "The Bachelorette" fame. Trista and Ryan tomorrow night.
This is the kind of thing she's been saying all along. Hinting she knows some terrible things she won't say. Nothing is stopping her. When Linda is ready to say it then I'll have a reason to listen to her on Larry King. I'm not very interested in her wedding plans.