Trump on ’90s playboy image: ‘It’s fortunate I don’t have to run for political office’
A recently resurfaced interview with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from 1993 reveals he understood that his image as a wealthy womanizer might come back to haunt him if he were to seek elective office.
“A lot of people have this image of you as a high-rolling tycoon associated with glamorous women. Is that the sort of image you enjoy of yourself?” Trump was asked by a reporter for New Zealand’s TV3.
“No, I don’t enjoy that image. I guess I have that image. Uh, I think women are beautiful. I think certain women are more beautiful than others, to be perfectly honest, and it’s fortunate I don’t have to run for political office,” Trump said at the time. “But I do have a level of popularity, and frankly it’s not the image I want. The image I want is that I’m doing great in business. I mean my business is very important.”
According to the station, which released the video on Monday, Trump was visiting the city of Auckland to apply for a casino license. At the time, the real estate mogul’s love life — his divorce from Ivana Trump and romance with Marla Maples — was fodder for the tabloids.
From the beginning, Trump’s presidential campaign has been riddled with accusations of sexism, racism and Islamophobia. But the outrage over his views on women, in particular, reached a high point Friday after the Washington Post released a 2005 video in which Trump had a vulgar discussion about women.
The video shows Trump heading to the “Days of Our Lives” set with Billy Bush, then at “Access Hollywood.” In a hot-microphone conversation, he can be heard bragging about how his celebrity status allows him to kiss women and grope their genitals.
“Grab them by the p****. You can do anything,” Trump said.
Many Republicans sought to distance themselves from their party’s standard-bearer after the video appeared.
On Sunday, during the second presidential debate, CNN’s Anderson Cooper confronted Trump over the controversial comments.
“That is sexual assault. You bragged that you have sexually assaulted women. Do you understand that?” Cooper asked.
“No, I didn’t say that at all,” Trump responded. “I don’t think you understood what was said. This was locker-room talk.”
