Arianna Huffington thinks Donald Trump needs more sleep
Media mogul and writer Arianna Huffington thinks America is in a sleep crisis. She also thinks Donald Trump is a “clear and present danger” to the country. Huffington spoke to Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric on “Yahoo News Live” about both of those topics, as well as her new book, “The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time.”
Huffington told Couric that the sleep crisis stems from how Americans view work and the use of technology. She said, “We began to look at sleep as something we have to give up to be productive. … That is a delusion. We’ve come to think that we can treat human beings like machines. Exhaustion is a slippery slope, so the effects of it catch up with you.”
Many wonder if Huffington would have been as successful if she had not cut back on sleep earlier in her career. How can she tell us to work less and get more sleep? She explained to Couric that “it’s not really about working less. … You know me. It’s not like I’m slowing down or chilling under a mango tree. I think it’s [about] working smarter, because our work is not just a function of time we put into it. It’s a function of the energy we put into it — creative ideas. So in every respect, I think I would’ve done what I’ve done with less damage to my health, my relationships and also [have] more joy.”
Finally, Huffington admitted, “When I’m sleep deprived, I don’t like myself. I don’t like the person I am.”
Turning to politics and the 2016 campaign, Huffington said this is “definitely” the craziest campaign she’s every witnessed in her life.
Huffington also called Trump’s previous personal Twitter attacks against her “meaningless.” Trump attacked Huffington in 2012 after an op-ed on the Huffington Post that called Trump “moody.” Trump tweeted to Huffington in response that she is “unattractive both inside and out.” She said she laughed about them and downplayed their significance: “Compared to what he has been saying in this campaign, that is really mild.”
Huffington said that much of Trump’s behavior could be explained by his sleep habits. She told Couric, “The symptoms of his behavior are identical to symptoms of sleep deprivation.” She continued, “He has said he only sleeps about four hours a night, and he sleeps with his phone because he doesn’t want to be disconnected with what’s happening.”
She also cited an interview that Trump had given on one hour of sleep. The interviewer asked Trump where he gets his energy. Huffington said, “The question is not where do you get the energy? It’s, what is it like to operate like you are drunk? Because the effect of so little sleep is like operating legally drunk.”
On why Trump has resonated so much, she said, “He has played to everyone’s worst fears.”
Huffington also had harsh words for the media’s coverage of Trump, “I think it is going to be a very dark time in American journalism.” She continued, “Being allowed to phone in, even on the Sunday shows, which no other candidate was ever allowed to phone in to. Most recently, Bob Woodward interviewed him for the Washington Post, a 96-minute interview in which he didn’t ask him about the three most dangerous parts of his campaign.”
The first, in her view, is his proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. She noted, “That was not a middle of the night tweet and, as you know, he rarely reads anything.” Second, he was not asked about the fact that “he is the only candidate that still believes that Obama was not born here; that’s the equivalent of not believing that the world is round.” He needs to be asked about that every time he is interviewed.” Third, “He continues to promote violence at his rallies.” She concluded, “To have somebody as revered a journalist [as] Bob Woodward conduct an interview for an hour and a half and not ask about these questions shows how lamentable is the state of American journalism.”
On whether Trump will be the Republican nominee, she said, “A lot will depend on what happens in Wisconsin. If Cruz wins Wisconsin, I think it’s going to be much harder for him to get the required number of delegates at the first ballot.”
Huffington did perceive a change in the depth of Trump’s media coverage last week, however. “Last week there was a shift. … There are more and more journalists asking him tough questions.” She complemented Anderson Cooper on his comparison of Trump with a 5-year-old. She said “The only problem is he’s a 5-year-old maybe with his little hands on the nuclear button.”
On the Democratic side, she told Couric, “I think [Hillary Clinton] has the math, so right now, as we know this has been the most unpredictable campaign. Right now there is something that is exciting, I know my daughters are incredibly excited about having potentially the first woman president.”
On the lack of support among younger women for Clinton, Huffington said, “That is very surprising. You would have thought there would be more excitement around that.” However, she explained, “Young people have been so burdened by college debt … [and] with a sense that the American Dream is not what it was, that they are gravitating to Bernie.”
