Coming-Out Party: Donald Trump plans to have...

Coming-Out Party: Donald Trump plans to have Marla Maples at the April 5 opening of his Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams reported last week. “Yes, she will be there,” Maples spokesman Chuck Jones confirmed. “She’s doing it as a favor to Donald Trump.” “It’s just about the most tasteless thing I could imagine. . . , “ said Daily News columnist Liz Smith, who is a friend of Ivana Trump. “It would just be the ultimate of exploitation of this girl.”

Lay Low: Tobacco state Sens. Wendell Ford and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have warned farmers that now is not a good time to seek higher price supports for tobacco. In fact, in Congress’ current anti-smoking mood, it could backfire, the two lawmakers say. McConnell, a Republican, told tobacco farmers the program “continues to survive primarily because everyone is keeping their head down.” Ford, a Democrat, admitted he’s “nervous.”

Gorby Foe: Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) warned in a speech Friday in Washington that Mikhail Gorbachev wants to turn the Soviet Union into “a lean, mean powerhouse” that will dominate the world. Helms, the leading conservative voice in the Senate, said every step Gorbachev has taken inside the U.S.S.R. has been “to consolidate and centralize his own personal power.” Helms said self-determination for all nations, “including those in artificial conglomerates like the Soviet Union, should be the keystone of our foreign policy goals.”

Personal Journalism?: Gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson goes to court March 13 to answer to misdemeanor charges filed by a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her at his home near Aspen, Colo. Thompson, 52, who is free on $2,000 bond, claims the charges filed by Gail Palmer-Slater, 35, a writer from Port Huron, Mich., are an attempt to get publicity for a new business venture, which he said was selling sexual aids and lingerie. Palmer-Slater, who had planned to interview Thompson, says he crudely grabbed her chest when she spurned him after a recent party.