An interview with President Donald Trump from 1995 has resurfaced, highlighting how wealthy power brokers hated him even before he ascended to the presidency, and how consistent he’s been in his political views.
The interview from December 1995 was with former political media consultant Roger Ailes, who at the time was President of CNBC, but later went on to be CEO at Fox News.
In the video, Ailes referred to Trump as “one of the most famous men in the country” and asked Trump why he was so popular, noting that in New York City, “the average guy on the street — the cab drivers, the guys working on the road crews” — knew Trump by sight and often greeted him warmly, saying, “Hey, Donald, how’s it going?”
Ailes observed, “It’s almost like they feel very comfortable with you, like you’re one of them.”
Trump responded, “The people that don’t like me are the rich people.”
“I have enemies, jerks. They hurt people… and then they call up, ‘can you help me get a reservation at a restaurant?’” he said. “The rich people do not like Donald Trump … I sort of love it.”
When speaking about the media, Trump sounded as if he was giving a talk at one of his 2025 presidential rallies, where he often highlights the public’s contempt for the press.
Ailes noted that “sometimes [reporters] love you, sometimes they hate you.”
Trump agreed. “They’re very uneven. Some are very good, but… some of the most dishonest people I’ve ever met are in the press,” he lamented. “I mean, they are literally some of the most dishonest, despicable people.
“And, you know, when you see the public hates the press so much — the public understands. Some of the most truly dishonest [people]. When you tell them something, they know exactly what they should be writing, and they write exactly the opposite for the sake of the story.”
When asked whether he would ever enter the political arena and whether he was worried about journalists attacking him personally, he said the issue of electability might hold him back.
“I’m a pretty straight guy, and I’m not sure that somebody that really calls it like it is and says, ‘this is what you have to do,’ I’m not sure that kind of a guy gets elected,” Trump said.
“Maybe so. Maybe not,” he continued. “Everybody wants me to do it. They all want me to run.”
While talking about a Japanese trade negotiation, it eerily sounded like his talking points on China and the recent tariff showdowns with other countries.
“I took a very hard stand on Japan,” he explained. “This last auto deal as an example. Here we are, we’re sitting there. It’s restricted in Japan… and all of a sudden, this country folds. We do the old foldup. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
He went on to criticize American politicians for being afraid to tell the truth in the face of simple logic.
“People realized we got duped. I just don’t understand,” he told Ailes. “What’s wrong with us? I don’t know. They’re afraid, politically, to make a little bit of a tough stand. That wasn’t even a tough one. That was a no-brainer.”
Is there anyone who hates Trump more than rich people?
Trump then predicted how he’d be perceived if he ran for office, saying he’d make enemies, but also create a large coalition of allies.
“I would take a much harder stand,” the future president said. “I’d take a much more difficult stand, I would say. Make a couple of enemies. I think I’d make a lot of friends, ultimately. But I’m not sure that type of person is really electable.”
On the idea of putting America first, Trump said the U.S. had “idiots” in charge of policy and added that the nation would be “far more respected” if it took a strong stand during negotiations.
“We lose money, and [tolerate] deficits and nothing happens,” Trump concluded. “I just think that people would have far greater respect for this country if we took a much tougher stand. It’s really quite pathetic.”
In a day and age where politicians change their beliefs to fit any situation, it’s amazing to see someone like Trump keeping his views consistent for decades.
His predictions came true, his characterizations of the press were spot-on, and he’s always known how Americans think.
The only thing he got wrong was that the country might never elect somebody like him.
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