No billionaire with a checkered past will defeat her. She has the liberal press, Hollywood, a bevy of Wall Street bankers, and, most important, a well-liked president, at least among Democrats, supporting her.
Whom does Trump have? The cops?
As Anderson Cooper begins the debate questioning, Hillary Clinton is prepared to answer and prepared to serve.
In less than thirteen months, she will be president-elect; it is her time.
Finally.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NEW YORK CITY
OCTOBER 31, 2015
MORNING
It is Halloween, but Donald Trump is not frightened. Rather, he’s bored. Three days ago, he endured another debate, the third episode of his new reality show called When Will It All End? This chat-fest was at the University of Colorado at Boulder. According to the snap polls, phone surveys taken immediately after the debate, Ted Cruz won the contest, but candidate Trump held his own.
Twelve days before the Boulder spectacle, Donald Trump demonstrated his increasing muscle with the media. Trump believed the first two debates were too long; he got bored standing on stage with nine other men. So, he told CNBC, the debate sponsor, that he would not show up in Colorado unless the program clocked in at two hours, and that included opening and closing statements by the participants.
The second debate put on by CNN ran more than three hours, which was totally unacceptable to Trump. So, it was his way or the highway. Ben Carson joined him in the demand.
CNBC, understanding that Trump was the viewer draw, caved: two hours it would be.
At this point in the campaign, Donald Trump has learned much. Yesterday, an NBC News poll told the world that Trump and Ben Carson were tied among Republican voters, with 26 percent each. No one else was close: Ted Cruz had 10 percent, Marco Rubio 9, and Jeb Bush 5.
The Bush number is disastrous. The campaign is now in its fourth month, with multiple debates in the books, and the governor has little support anywhere. His message is muddled, he looks uncomfortable on television, and his loathing for Donald Trump is obvious but not providing him with anything positive.
Trump sees Bush as a boring politician with little to offer. He knows the governor is done.
Donald Trump divides the world into winners and losers. His Republican competition all fall into the latter category. Trump believes he has the nomination already secured, even if Ben Carson is polling well. There is no question that candidate Trump has been the star of the debate show, and he has drawn far more people to his campaign rallies than any other candidate.
Dr. Ben Carson is a kind man who has led an impressive life. Born into poverty in Detroit, he attended Yale and went on to medical school at the University of Michigan. Carson then rose to become the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the famous Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland. In 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Ben Carson’s personal accomplishments dwarf those of any presidential candidate running in 2015.
But—and there’s always a “but” in politics—Carson is soft-spoken, knows little about foreign policy, and has a fuzzy message. He believes religion is a societal stabilizer and laments the decline of American culture, but specificity often eludes him.
There are no catchy slogans, no villains, and not much energy attached to the doctor’s campaign.
Carson polls very well among Evangelicals and very conservative voters, but he lacks the firepower personality that Donald Trump possesses. Up against standard politicians, Carson has held his own, but the contrast with the rambunctious Trump has hurt him.
In addition, Trump is beating Carson in the poll question that really matters: Whom do you trust with the economy? NBC has Donald Trump at 41 percent among all the GOP candidates, Carson at just 11 percent.
Candidate Trump knows Dr. Benjamin Solomon Carson cannot beat him in the primaries because he does not have breakout potential. The person who challenges Hillary Clinton needs a vengeance agenda, which the doctor lacks. Many Republican voters will not be satisfied with a simple victory over Mrs. Clinton. They want her punished in the process.
As he reads the NBC poll, Donald Trump is happy because it has effectively eliminated most of his competition.
Time will take care of Ben Carson.
* * *
EVEN AS HE was traveling around the country campaigning, Donald Trump was still running his business; building hotels, residences, and golf courses. He never stopped working or politicking. He slept just four hours a night, often ate fast food, and rarely exercised. Golf was his only diversion.
Mr. Trump is the classic adrenaline junkie, which explains much of his conduct. When he gets bored, which is often, he does something to create excitement, action. Since Trump does not drink, use narcotics, smoke, or meditate, he stimulates his environment by embracing confrontational behavior. He’ll create feuds, tweet challenges, say outrageous things in public. Then, when a reaction comes, as it always does, Trump counterpunches, hoping to “win” whatever challenge he’s facing. It’s a game. He’s a fabulously wealthy man. If he loses, so what? And Donald Trump has the capacity to forget his losses quickly.
He is also a man of steel. He can absorb personal attacks with more resilience than anyone I’ve ever covered or known in my life. His enemies pound him without letup or mercy. Trump answers back and goes about his business.
President Trump on his golf course at the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire, where he and his wife, Melania, spent the weekend as part of their visit to the UK, July 15, 2018.
But he never forgets.
With the holiday season and the end of 2015 approaching, Donald Trump likes his odds to get the Republican nomination. His message is simple and strong. Thousands cheer when he shows up in their neighborhoods, and the media still relentlessly pursue him. Every day, he is the center of attention, and instant gratification (a must for him) is almost always available.
The first vote in Iowa is just three months away. Before that, four more tedious debates are scheduled—a situation Trump now detests. Been there, done it, too many people onstage. Don’t they know the competition is over? Don’t they realize that only one candidate can Make America Great Again?
So, to keep his adrenaline pumped, Donald Trump is formulating a plan on this, the Eve of All Hallows.
It is an audacious plan.
The kind Donald Trump likes very much.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LOS ANGELES
JANUARY 27, 2016
MID-AFTERNOON
Fox News is being battered. A still-angry Donald Trump has announced that he will not show up for FNC’s debate tomorrow night in Des Moines, Iowa. The sixth Republican debate is scheduled three days before the first actual presidential vote, the Iowa Caucus.
Candidate Trump does not expect to win Iowa, as caucus voters are generally extremely right or left. In fact, Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton will win the 2016 contest.
For months, Roger Ailes, the Fox News boss, has been seeking détente with Donald Trump. But the candidate remains aggrieved over the Megyn Kelly question in August and does not want her moderating the Fox News debate in Iowa.
Ailes knows he cannot accede to Trump’s request, and a stalemate has developed. Now the situation has gone public, as Trump is saying he won’t show up, and just today, Fox News has fired back in a press release.
“We’re not sure how Iowans are going to feel about [Trump] walking away from them at the last minute, but it should be clear to the American public by now that this is rooted in one thing—Megyn Kelly, whom he has viciously attacked since August and now has spent four days demanding she be removed from the debate stage. Capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats, including the one leveled by Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski toward Megyn Kelly.
“In a call on Saturday with a Fox News executive, Lewandowski s
tated that Megyn had a ‘rough couple of days after that last debate’ and he ‘would hate to have her go through that again’ … We can’t give in to terrorization toward any of our employees.
“Trump is still welcome at Thursday’s debate and will be treated fairly, just as he has been during his 132 appearances on Fox News and Fox Business, but he can’t dictate the moderators or the questions.”
The statement is classic Roger Ailes, who almost always stands by his personnel, and is insulted that Donald Trump does not understand that a news organization will lose all credibility if it allows politicians to dictate anything.
For his part, Trump does not care what the reasoning is; Fox has been unfair to him, and its statement puts the organization into the enemy camp.
Privately, Ailes does not want this fight because he knows a good portion of FNC’s audience favors Trump. He suggests to Megyn Kelly that she refrain from publicly commenting on Trump, which she basically does. More than anything, Roger wants the controversy to die, but it will not.
I made it a policy not to involve myself with corporate politics, but I did discuss the problem with Roger Ailes, at his request. Based on my long acquaintanceship with Trump, Ailes asked me to speak with the candidate privately, putting forth that the debate was important to America and that he should attend.
So, I did.
I got nowhere.
Donald Trump strongly believed that Megyn Kelly grilled him much harder than the other candidates and that she was using him to get famous.
There was little that I could say to dissuade him from his viewpoint. Megyn Kelly was adamant that she had done her job well, so there was no give on either side.
Realizing the private chat was going nowhere, I asked Donald Trump to confirm his appearance on the Factor. We were based in LA that week, but satellites are wonderful things. After some cajoling on my part, Trump agreed. That was very gutsy on his part, and smart. He knew he would reach millions of Fox News viewers. What he didn’t know was how I would frame the issue—I could hammer him. I had before, during other interviews.
But that’s Trump: he’s a risk taker.
However, he rarely overlooks perceived slights, and the Kelly thing was very personal with him. He believed, and was correct, that Megyn Kelly sought to hurt him in the August debate.
I am not a person who gives up easily, so I still felt I had a chance to persuade Donald Trump to show up for the Iowa debate. If I could make a strong case on TV with him sitting there, he might change his mind, right?
Here’s how it went down. We begin with my introduction. Again, I was in Los Angeles; Mr. Trump in Florida:
O’REILLY: So, I appreciate your coming on. Most politicians would have dodged this interview. But I have to tell you something. I don’t think not showing up for the debate tomorrow night is good for America. Voters are still assessing you. They need to see you in high-profile situations. Or am I wrong?
TRUMP: Well, I think you’re wrong because, frankly … I was not treated well by Fox. They came out with this ridiculous PR statement. It was, like, drawn up by a child. And it was a taunt. And I said, “How much of this do you take?” I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly. I don’t think she’s very good at what she does. I think she’s overrated, and she’s the moderator. I thought her question last time was ridiculous, and everybody said I won the debate. In fact, everybody said I won all six debates. So, I don’t mind debating, I actually like debating.
O’REILLY: By walking away from it, you lose an opportunity to persuade people that you are a strong leader. That’s my opinion.
TRUMP: Well, I understand your opinion, Bill … but Fox is going to make a lot of money on the debate … I just don’t like being used, and when they issued that [statement,] it looked like it was done by children.
O’REILLY: Got it, but if you’re elected president, you’re going to get a lot more than that.
TRUMP: Frankly, you’re a lot tougher than Megyn Kelly, in my opinion.
O’REILLY: Look, it doesn’t matter. I’m trying to convince you that your [strategy] is wrong because it’s better for the folks to see you in a debate format …
TRUMP: Everybody said I won that [Kelly] debate and I gave a great answer. Believe it or not, Rosie O’Donnell was very good for me in that debate. The only time Rosie’s ever been good to me.
O’REILLY: You’re making my point. You gained in that …
TRUMP: This also has to do with the attitude of Fox, Bill.
O’REILLY: I’m the flagship on Fox; we’ve treated you fairly.
TRUMP: Can I just say one thing? We’ve had six debates … We’re going to go on forever with these debates. At some point, you’ve got to do other things.
O’REILLY: If I had been the moderator in August, I would have asked you about those [women] comments. I wouldn’t have asked it the same way, but once you say something about Carly Fiorina, you open the door to it.
TRUMP: Excuse me, Bill. You would not have asked the question that way. I love pressure, that’s why I’m doing your show tonight.
O’REILLY: Kelly’s question was within journalistic bounds, okay?
TRUMP: I disagree.
* * *
THERE ARE A number of important takeaways from that Q-and-A. First, Donald Trump was sincerely angry with Fox News, and that would last a few more weeks.
Second, he thought debates in general no longer helped him. He was leading in the polls, so why give his competition more exposure? He had said all he wanted to say in that forum.
Finally, his assertion that the Rosie O’Donnell “pig” thing had helped him was most likely true. The very far left and strident O’Donnell is loathed by many conservatives. Insulting her did not hurt Trump with his growing base, and neither did his attacks on Megyn Kelly.
The simple truth is that partisan voters do not want their preferred candidate to look bad, and when someone does that, anger toward that someone flies.
Fox News and Megyn Kelly were besieged by furious Trump supporters who, to this day, believe their candidate was unfairly set up. Emotion ruled, and without a doubt, Donald Trump capitalized on that emotion.
I failed in my attempt to persuade Mr. Trump to debate in Iowa, and subsequently, the TV audience for that forum was half what it was for the FNC debate in August. So, Donald Trump won again.
By this time, it looked as if nothing could stop him from securing the Republican nomination for president. His base was becoming more devoted and had bought into his confrontational style. The press was beginning to turn on Trump but still believed that Hillary Clinton would smash him in the general election, so the Hate Trump movement had not broken out yet. The chieftains at the liberal newspapers and TV networks were fine with criticizing Trump, but they stopped short of trying to destroy him. They believed Hillary would soon take care of that.
Trump himself was enjoying his rallies and the mass adulation he received. The regular folks wanted a new political paradigm, one that put America and working people first; one that scorned political correctness and called out those who practiced it.
Donald Trump was all about that. While the media obsessed over his misstatements and tough talk on illegal immigration and terrorism, the average Trump supporter did not care about his exaggerations or PC offenses. They actually liked them.
To Donald Trump supporters, he was an avenger, a powerful person who would stop liberal madness and restore “greatness” to America. Trump was the anti-Obama, and the Trump train was speeding to the success station with the folks all aboard.
Next stop, New Hampshire. Then on to Super Tuesday. Who woulda ever thunk it?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
FOX NEWS STUDIO
WASHINGTON, DC
MARCH 2, 2016
EARLY EVENING
Charles Krauthammer is not happy. The genius Fox News commentator knows Donald Trump is now unstoppable, that he will be the Republican candidate for president, and Charles doesn’t like it.
I
t is the day after the Super Tuesday primary vote that Trump won big, taking seven states while Ted Cruz won three and Marco Rubio one.
The Grand Old Party turnout was massive: 8.5 million votes compared to 4.7 million in 2012—that’s up 81 percent from when Mitt Romney was the Republican headliner. The vast majority of Super Tuesday votes went to Donald Trump.
That pretty much seals the deal after Trump won the New Hampshire primary on February 9. The tally in that vote was Trump, 35 percent; John Kasich, 16 percent; Ted Cruz, 12 percent; and Jeb Bush with 11 percent.
On the other side, Bernie Sanders smashed Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire 60 percent to 38. Donald Trump and his campaign are taking strong notice of that.
The South Carolina primary was held on February 20, and Trump won again. Jeb Bush quit the race, and the other Republican aspirants were tottering. It takes big money to run a presidential campaign, and GOP donations to Trump’s competition are drying up. It is essentially over.
As he reads the Super Tuesday exit polling research, Charles Krauthammer well understands the situation. Republican voters, his party, are fed up with cowardly politicians who couldn’t even stop Barack Obama. They want a “strongman” outsider to batter Hillary Clinton, a person much maligned and detested by many conservative Americans.
Despite his spirited campaign, few GOP voters believe the socialist Bernie Sanders can beat Hillary for the nomination.
Krauthammer also disapproves of Mrs. Clinton but viscerally dislikes Donald Trump. In July 2015, he called Mr. Trump a “rodeo clown.” So, Charles is caught between two political rocks, and it is indeed a hard place. He is FNC’s top political analyst and an intellectually honest man. So, he pounds both Trump and Clinton, drawing the public ire of Mr. Trump, and disdain from more than a few Fox News viewers.
Unlike many so-called TV news analysts, Krauthammer is not a company person. He says what he believes, not what he’s told to say. And what he believes is that both Clinton and Trump are bad for the country.
The United States of Trump Page 14
