During his diatribes against the president, Cohen said one thing that caught my attention above all: “He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win the general election. The campaign, for him, was always a marketing opportunity.”
Mr. Cohen is misleading anyone who might listen to him. Throughout the primary process in 2016, there was no clear-cut favorite on the Republican side. Donald Trump believed none of his competition had a stronger message than he did, and he successfully marginalized his opponents during the debates.
Trump also knew that his rally crowds were far larger than those running against him were drawing, and that TV news ratings spiked when he appeared.
So, Cohen’s assertion about the primary outcome is nonsensical and apparently based solely on hatred toward Mr. Trump.
It is true that during his race against Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump had some doubts about a victorious outcome. Almost every poll had Mrs. Clinton ahead throughout the campaign. It is not hard to picture Trump saying something like “Well, if we lose, at least the brand is powerful.” Donald Trump is a man who believes all setbacks can be turned into victories.
But Cohen’s statement that Trump was not in it to win it is intellectually dishonest, and any astute political analyst would know it.
But few pundits repudiated Cohen’s propaganda because it was negative toward Trump, and that’s what the establishment media want. It doesn’t matter whether accusations against the president are truthful or out of context. What matters is that every allegation receive as much publicity as possible, absurd or not.
The media loathing toward Donald Trump was a gradual movement. Before he became president, Trump’s feuding with various people amused the press. For example, the three-term mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, intensely disliked the developer.
After Koch died in 1997, the New York Times reported that his personal papers featured writings like “Donald Trump is one of the least likable people I have met during the 12 years that I served as mayor. It is incomprehensible to me that for some people he has become a folk hero.”
According to the Times, Koch was also fond of quoting a line from one of his assistants: “I wouldn’t believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized.”
For his part, Trump responded in kind, saying, “Koch achieved something quite miraculous. He’s presided over an administration that is both pervasively corrupt and totally incompetent.”
* * *
THROUGHOUT THE 1990S, the Trump Organization began expanding again, even as Trump himself became a tabloid favorite. In ’92, he and Ivana divorced, causing front-page headlines about settlement money.
In 1993, Marla Maples became pregnant; she gave birth to Tiffany Trump in October. Two months later, Donald and Marla married in Manhattan. The ceremony was attended by O. J. Simpson, Rosie O’Donnell, Senator Alphonse D’Amato, and Don King, among others.
Beginning its tireless tradition of mocking and besmirching Trump, the New York Times wrote the wedding up this way: “Dr. Arthur Caliandro of the Marble Collegiate Church performed the ceremony in the Grand Ballroom, on an altar decked with white orchids and white birches. Dripping from the birches were cut-glass teardrops.
“Other than that, as the writer Julie Baumgold remarked after the ceremony, ‘There wasn’t a wet eye in the place.’
“The bride is taking her husband’s name. The bridegroom is keeping his name, The Donald, a legacy from former wife, Ivana.”
Cats all over the world should have sued.
* * *
NEWLY MARRIED WITH a baby daughter named Tiffany and three older children, Donald Trump begins charting both his financial and political future. It is 1994, and one of the most bizarre real estate deals in history is unfolding before his eyes.
Back in ’91, a Japanese billionaire named Hideki Yokoi bought the Empire State Building, eventually turning it over to his daughter Kiiko Nakahara to oversee. The building had not been renovated since King Kong hung out there, and many leases were advantageous to the tenants.
For some reason, Nakahara brought Donald Trump in as a partner, hoping he could get some of the bad leases off the books. Incredibly, the wealthy woman gave the Trump Organization 50 percent equity in the building for its services.
But Trump wanted more—he wanted the city to change the name of the building to “Trump Empire State Building Tower Apartments.”
King Kong threatened to come back, and the idea died.
The wedding of Marla Maples and Donald Trump, New York City, December 20, 1993.
Trump then sued many of the tenants, claiming they had turned the Empire State Building into a “high-rise slum.”
After years of litigation, Donald Trump lost in court. But all was not lost. He waited, and when two American billionaires showed interest, he sold his Empire State Building stake for a reported $57 million. That was totally walk-away money—apparently, Trump had invested nothing in the building himself.
How do you say “the art of the deal” in Japanese?
Meanwhile, Donald Trump continued wheeling and dealing. He bought the Gulf and Western Building in Columbus Circle, renaming it the Trump International Hotel. He then sold the Plaza Hotel on Central Park, which had been a money drain.
In the late 1990s, he is a dervish of activity, buying a number of high-profile properties and a stake in the Miss Universe pageant. He also begins acquiring golf courses. For Donald Trump, life is pretty good—or so it seems.
* * *
THEN, IN 1999, big changes come into Trump’s life: he divorces Marla Maples, decides almost out of nowhere to run for president, and his father dies.
Fred Trump is ninety-three when he passes away from Alzheimer’s disease, which he had been living with for six years. In a long obituary, the New York Times calls him “one of the last of New York City’s major postwar builders.”
The newspaper goes on to list Fred Trump’s considerable donations to charity, and ends with this: “Mr. Trump liked to be surrounded by familiar things and familiar people. He still employed Amy Luerssen, his secretary for 59 years. And he and his wife of 61 years still lived in the red-brick Colonial they built on a half-acre lot in the leafy, middle-class suburb of Jamaica Estates, in Queens.”
Nowhere in the obit is there anything negative about Fred Trump or his son Donald. That would not likely be the case today.
In the weeks that follow, Fred’s four living children divided a reported $20 million from the estate. Not that Donald Trump needs the money, but it easily handles his divorce settlement with Marla Maples.1
* * *
WITH THE REAL estate business once again brisk, and his personal wealth rising, Donald Trump has every reason to be content. But he’s not. Marla is gone, and he has a new girlfriend, named Melania Knauss, a model from Slovenia. But Trump remains restless. So, on October 8, he goes on CNN and tells Larry King that he is forming an “exploratory committee” to pursue the presidency on the Reform Party ticket. Apparently, the wrestler Jesse Ventura has convinced Trump to do this.
For the next four months, Donald Trump campaigns across the country, telling voters that U.S. trade policies are stupid, that “universal health care” is good, and the national debt is bad.
From my perch as a prime-time anchor on the Fox News Channel, I did not see Donald Trump as a major political factor even after he said he’d like Oprah as his running mate. The 2000 presidential race would likely be between Vice President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush of Texas. In the polls, Trump was averaging about 7 percent.
But the man had energy and seemed to enjoy campaigning. However, on February 14, Donald Trump dropped out of the race, a fitting Valentine’s Day gesture to those who did not like him.
Back then, many believed what Michael Cohen told Congress: that Trump was using politics to benefit his business. Maybe true in 2000, but it is worth considering that Trump had been thinking about national politics for even more than ten years, as excerpts from his 1990 inter
view in Playboy prove.
Then age forty-four, Trump had obviously been contemplating the state of America and the world. He didn’t like what he was seeing.
TRUMP: We Americans are laughed at around the world for losing a hundred and fifty billion dollars a year, for defending wealthy nations for nothing … Our allies are screwing us.
PLAYBOY: You have taken out full-page ads in several major newspapers that not only concern U.S. foreign trade but call for the death penalty, too. Why?
TRUMP: Because I hate seeing this country go to hell … In order to bring law and order back into our cities, we need the death penalty and authority given back to the police.
PLAYBOY: You believe in an eye for an eye?
TRUMP: When a man or woman cold-bloodedly murders, he or she should pay. It sets an example. Nobody can make the argument that the death penalty isn’t a deterrent. Either it will be brought back swiftly or our society will rot away. It is rotting away.
PLAYBOY: You mean firm hand as in China?
TRUMP: When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country right now is perceived as weak, [we are] being spit on by the rest of the world.
PLAYBOY: Which political party do you think you’d be more comfortable with [if you ran for office]?
TRUMP: Well, if I ever ran for office, I’d do better as a Democrat than as a Republican—and that’s not because I’d be more liberal, because I’m conservative. But the working guy would elect me. He likes me. When I walk down the street, those cabbies start yelling out their windows.
PLAYBOY: What’s the first thing President Trump would do upon entering the White House?
TRUMP: A toughness of attitude would prevail. I’d throw a tax on every Mercedes-Benz rolling into this country and on all Japanese products, and we’d have wonderful allies again.
PLAYBOY: How would President Trump handle [the threat of nuclear war]?
TRUMP: He would believe very strongly in extreme military strength. He wouldn’t trust anyone. He wouldn’t trust the Russians; he wouldn’t trust our allies; he’d have a huge arsenal, perfect it, understand it.
PLAYBOY: You categorically don’t want to be president?
TRUMP: I don’t want to be president. I’m one hundred percent sure. I’d change my mind only if I saw this country continue to go down the tubes.
* * *
AGAIN, THAT INTERVIEW is from twenty-nine years ago, and obviously little has changed in Donald Trump’s political outlook. Over the years, he has registered to vote in all three parties, Democratic, Republican, and Independent.
For a time, he was close to Bill and Hillary Clinton. They even attended his wedding to Melania. In 2000, he supported George W. Bush but turned against the president over the invasion of Iraq.
Under the eight years of President Obama, Donald Trump seethed, believing Mr. Obama to be weak and ineffective.
It is interesting to note that Trump’s populist and “strongman” approach to politics was formed while he was relatively young. There is no question that he has stayed true to his vision.
But without a political résumé, it was difficult for Trump to be taken seriously as a public policy force. I mean, who really cares what a bombastic billionaire thinks?
So, Donald Trump had to find a way to assemble a political profile. Using a strategy born of the Middle Ages, he had to become an apprentice.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TRUMP TOWER
MANHATTAN
NOVEMBER 2003
It takes a village to get Donald Trump ready for his close-up. Dozens of people who are now working on the soon-to-debut NBC program The Apprentice are waiting for “Mr. Trump” to appear on the set. As usual, he’s late. As he sits in a private room getting what is called “hair and makeup,” the show’s creator, a former British Parachute Regiment commando named Mark Burnett, is going over the script with his star.
But Donald Trump has not read the entire screenplay because he doesn’t do that. He will wing much of the dialogue, as he usually does, saying pretty much anything that pops into his head. If it doesn’t work, they will edit it out of the final product. Donald, as always, is supremely confident that he, himself, can make the show entertaining. He can make it fabulous, a huge hit.
Right now, Donald is focused on aesthetics. His dyed blond hair is swept up in an elaborate style. The stylist has known Donald Trump for a long time; he trusts her to spray the mane so it will stay in place until Christmas, if necessary.
Trump’s lead makeup artist is also a longtime confidant. The mogul favors a tan look, and likes flattery. The artist knows Trump is extremely disciplined in his grooming. His shave is always perfect, his clothes crisp. Donald Trump’s appearance is important to the show, as it subliminally demonstrates that he is in command of himself and everyone around him.
Mark Burnett believes in Donald Trump and understands that unlike his other TV ventures, this one is unique. Burnett is not solely in charge as he usually is. His star will be available to him for only a relatively short time each week because Trump gets bored easily with repetition and the minutiae of the taping process. There will be a few “retakes,” but not many. Burnett will get what he can on video and then rely on his genius in the editing room.
Putting together a mega-hit television program is an arduous task. I know; I’ve experienced it—twice. Most shows quickly fail for one simple reason: viewers don’t watch.
It takes enormous energy and boldness to drive a news or reality program to success. Think back to those few who have been part of that. Barbara Walters and Katie Couric on The Today Show, Oprah, Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football. There are very few individuals who break through and become icons on television. You must possess charisma and confidence; you have to be magnetic on the screen.
Without any formal TV training, Donald Trump accomplished television success, and it set him up for the presidency.
The Apprentice began in January 2004 and lasted until 2015, when the mogul was fired for a controversial remark about undocumented immigrants from Mexico. By that point, Trump was involved with politics and had tired of the TV grind. Been there, done that—for eleven years, a staggering amount of time for a TV program to run.
The venture was Mission Accomplished for Donald Trump. After the Apprentice success, almost every potential voter in the United States knew who Trump was, a tremendous advantage if you are seeking national office.
Before we get into Trump’s shrewd approach to The Apprentice, let’s examine his public and private persona. Unlike most people, Donald Trump has few doubts about himself. He can do it. That’s his strong belief. He can do it.
Even when he fails, as he did for a time running the Trump Organization, he is not dissuaded from his self-supporting attitude: whatever it is, he’ll get out of it and prosper. Everything will be “terrific.” The end result of his involvement will be “the greatest.”
No doubts, no fear, no surrender.
And it’s not an act. Donald Trump sees himself as the ultimate winner in life.
But if you don’t see him that way, there may be a problem.
As Shakespeare incorporated into his works, every person has a tragic flaw. Or two. Maybe three.
For President Trump, it’s insecurity, number one. If you are not with him, you are an enemy who must be challenged. This sometimes leads to chaotic behavior and verbal exaggeration. That’s what happened in the John McCain “war hero” madness.
In the run-up to the 2016 Republican primaries, Senator McCain had little use for Donald Trump, and did not hide that. The late senator was a traditional legislator, and a brash outsider like Trump attacking the DC status quo offended him. However, McCain had something in common with Trump: he was not shy about giving his opinion.
So, when Donald Trump heard John McCain disparage hi
m by criticizing Trump’s assessment that Mexico was not sending quality people to America, he lashed back, marginalizing McCain’s captivity in Vietnam: “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
That statement was a poor decision by Trump, given that there is no question that as a POW, McCain suffered grievously in a North Vietnam prison. I spoke with Trump privately about the comment, as I was surprised by it. Trump had endorsed McCain in his 2008 presidential run against Barack Obama. In my private conversation, which will remain confidential because it was off the record, it became clear to me that Donald Trump had acted emotionally. I asked him to go on the record on my TV program, which he agreed to do.
In the meantime, the anti-Trump press, which was quickly growing in strength, killed him. Story after story appeared chronicling how Donald Trump despises Mexicans and the great American hero John McCain.
Reporter Sharyl Attkisson noticed the hysterical reaction from the press and wrote an article on her website criticizing the Washington Post for failing to report that Trump had acknowledged John McCain’s heroism four times before making the “I like people who weren’t captured” comment.
Attkisson’s analysis was correct. The Washington Post omitted an important part of the story on purpose. The paper had wanted to hurt Donald Trump, as it almost always does. Yet the deceit was unnecessary, because Trump had hurt himself with the captivity statement.
On July 20, 2015, Donald Trump appeared on The O’Reilly Factor.
O’REILLY: When you were asked about McCain, you got into his war record, and I think you would admit here tonight that was a mistake because John McCain was a hero, and you know that.
TRUMP: But I haven’t said anything different. In fact, Sharyl Attkisson analyzed what I said … and she said Trump did absolutely nothing wrong. He said the right things. In fact, he said “war hero” four times.
The United States of Trump Page 8