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Murdoch, Ailes, NBC and the Rush of Being TV's "Ratings Machine"
The Hollywood Reporter
Janice Min
August 2015
Excerpt:
In his first magazine cover interview and photo shoot as the leading Republican, the reality TV presidential candidate lets loose on Hillary's email scandal ("Watergate on steroids"), Bill Cosby ("Was he drunk?"), whether he'll go on Megyn Kelly's show, why he won't accept vice president, Melania as first lady, and if he even needs Roger Ailes, Fox News and the haters.
I'm sitting in the reception area of Donald Trump's offices on the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York when an assistant comes to fetch me: "Mr. Trump would like to see you," she says, as if I were a contestant on The Apprentice, the NBC reality series that brought the real estate mogul's bravado and business savvy to 20 million Americans each week at its peak. She leads me to a vast conference room where cameras click as Trump, 69, signs papers with another man. Standing at attention are two of his children, Ivanka, 33, and Erik, 31, and about a dozen others. The scene has the pomp of historical significance one might associate with the Yalta Conference. Except this agreement being signed is for new Trump hotels in Asia in partnership with a gentleman who, Trump enthuses, is "the richest man" in his country (at press time, the deal was yet to be announced). Pens write with flourish, there is applause. Trump then calls me over: "Janice! You got to see this woman!" he says, motioning to a female dressed in a suit sitting next to the "richest man." It's never explained to me whether she is his wife or colleague. I don't know if she understands what is being said. "Isn't she beautiful? Beautiful!" he continues as she stands expressionless. "This is your business to know these things," he says to me, as an editor. "Just look at her!"
It's a bit awkward, especially given this is only eight days after his response to Megyn Kelly at the Republican debate on Fox News elicited a firestorm (as moderator, she challenged him on calling Rosie O'Donnell a "fat pig" and Arianna Huffington a "dog"). But this is classic Trump: bombastic, hyperbolic, an unabashed appraiser of women's looks yet, he will argue, not a misogynist outrageous and, yes, entertaining. Slightly to my horror, I realize I have a smile on my face the whole time, both out of sheer disbelief in what he is willing to say in front of others, no less a journalist who's about to interview him, and because he is fun. The room is energized, bristling, pumped. It's that same say-anything allure that made 24 million viewers tune in to the Aug. 6 debate. And it's only 10:30 a.m.
But does star quality make a presidential candidate? Trump's critics decry this as the end of days, as Hillary Clinton drowns in her email scandal and GOP stalwarts stumble around the new popular kid. In a Fox News poll released Aug. 16, Trump had 25 percent of Republican voters' support nationwide (more than double his nearest competitor, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, at 12 percent). Every word, every motion, every "Make America Great Again" hat, every insult draws headlines and viewers ("I'm a ratings machine!" he declares to me). I'll spend two and a half hours with him, and we'll talk a few days later on the phone. He tells me that many in Hollywood are privately voicing their support for him (he won't say who except to claim one significant name to me, off the record); that the Hillary email drama is "Watergate on steroids"; that his wife, Melania, 45, will start campaigning for him in late August (her issue if she were first lady would be "women's health"); and that, above all, he is a serious candidate. He admires Ronald Reagan, and a bust of the late commander in chief in his office is a business award with Trump's name on it. If the 40th president was "The Great Communicator," Trump, who rose to prominence not as an actor but by playing himself on TV, is the 21st century version: The Great Entertainer. And right now, it is working.
You're getting a ton of criticism. Does any of it actually ring true?
People say, "He won't apologize for anything" well, I was right on illegal immigration. [John] McCain blew it because he's done a poor job of taking care of the veterans. And then the third element so far, you had Megyn Kelly, and I think you've seen what happened with that. I feel quite confident in my position. At the same time, I believe in apologizing. But to apologize for me is very difficult. I definitely would apologize if I were wrong on something.
What was the last thing you apologized for?
It was too many years ago to remember. I have one of the great memories of all time, but it was too long ago.
You and Roger Ailes of Fox News are feuding over Megyn Kelly, or you're in private negotiations, or you've made peace, or you're upset again. What's really going on?
Well, he's a man that I like a lot, he's been a friend of mine for many years, and he has done an incredible job. We were at war because I felt that [Kelly's debate question about women] was unfair, and I let him know it. But it's all fine now. They were tough questions, and I thought inappropriate, but Roger didn't, and I'll go with Roger.
Will you ever be on Kelly's show?
Unlikely, but it could happen. They wanted me to do her show, but I'm not looking to do that. I know it's good show business, I know it's good for ratings, but that doesn't matter. I did Sean Hannity's show the other night it's the highest-rated show he's ever had [2.2 million viewers, his highest at 10 p.m.]. And he has been such a gentleman to me. Bill O'Reilly has been so great. He's a tough cookie, and he's smart, but he's been so fair. So I don't know.
Do you regret the Rosie O'Donnell "pig" answer?
No. Rosie actually saved me because that was a rough question. So Rosie, finally you saved me. Because the room went wild. Between the laughing and the applause it really stopped the rest of the question, which was just a continuation of "kill." That was a question that could have ruined my whole evening.
Do you need Fox News to win the nomination?
I don't know. It's a great question. I know that CNN has been wild about the whole Trump thing, whatever that is, and MSNBC has been doing it, and Meet the Press and George Stephanopoulos and Face the Nation I've been doing all of them. I don't know what has caused this whole thing, but certainly Fox is very important.
Some of your fans were making death threats to Kelly. What do you think about that?
I'm sure they don't mean that. I had heard that had happened. But I have gained such respect for the people that like me and respect me and that like my views, it's incredible.
Ronald Reagan was Hollywood's first presidential candidate, and many initially thought he was a joke. Now you're the first reality TV presidential candidate. Do you see parallels?
I hear it so often, the parallels, and if you'd have looked two months ago, three months ago, they were saying, "He'll never run." "He's just having fun," and "It's just games," and "It's just good for his brand." My brand! (Laughs.)
You voted for Reagan, right?
I did. I was friendly with him.
Is he your model?
No, he's not a model. I didn't like NAFTA [NAFTA was signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993, but Reagan first proposed a "North American accord" in a 1979 speech, and a precursor to NAFTA was signed by the U.S. and Canada in 1988.], I didn't like some of the economic policies. But he was a man that I respected and liked, and he liked me.
But he also could broach moderates, conservatives, Democrats.
He did. Well, he was a Democrat with a liberal bent as a younger man. And then he became a conservative Republican. He had a great way about him. A great sense of dignity. And he was a wonderful father for the country in a sense. He had a great feel for what the country represents.
.................................................. ......
View the complete article, including images, at:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fea...les-nbc-816131
The Hollywood Reporter
Janice Min
August 2015
Excerpt:
In his first magazine cover interview and photo shoot as the leading Republican, the reality TV presidential candidate lets loose on Hillary's email scandal ("Watergate on steroids"), Bill Cosby ("Was he drunk?"), whether he'll go on Megyn Kelly's show, why he won't accept vice president, Melania as first lady, and if he even needs Roger Ailes, Fox News and the haters.
I'm sitting in the reception area of Donald Trump's offices on the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York when an assistant comes to fetch me: "Mr. Trump would like to see you," she says, as if I were a contestant on The Apprentice, the NBC reality series that brought the real estate mogul's bravado and business savvy to 20 million Americans each week at its peak. She leads me to a vast conference room where cameras click as Trump, 69, signs papers with another man. Standing at attention are two of his children, Ivanka, 33, and Erik, 31, and about a dozen others. The scene has the pomp of historical significance one might associate with the Yalta Conference. Except this agreement being signed is for new Trump hotels in Asia in partnership with a gentleman who, Trump enthuses, is "the richest man" in his country (at press time, the deal was yet to be announced). Pens write with flourish, there is applause. Trump then calls me over: "Janice! You got to see this woman!" he says, motioning to a female dressed in a suit sitting next to the "richest man." It's never explained to me whether she is his wife or colleague. I don't know if she understands what is being said. "Isn't she beautiful? Beautiful!" he continues as she stands expressionless. "This is your business to know these things," he says to me, as an editor. "Just look at her!"
It's a bit awkward, especially given this is only eight days after his response to Megyn Kelly at the Republican debate on Fox News elicited a firestorm (as moderator, she challenged him on calling Rosie O'Donnell a "fat pig" and Arianna Huffington a "dog"). But this is classic Trump: bombastic, hyperbolic, an unabashed appraiser of women's looks yet, he will argue, not a misogynist outrageous and, yes, entertaining. Slightly to my horror, I realize I have a smile on my face the whole time, both out of sheer disbelief in what he is willing to say in front of others, no less a journalist who's about to interview him, and because he is fun. The room is energized, bristling, pumped. It's that same say-anything allure that made 24 million viewers tune in to the Aug. 6 debate. And it's only 10:30 a.m.
But does star quality make a presidential candidate? Trump's critics decry this as the end of days, as Hillary Clinton drowns in her email scandal and GOP stalwarts stumble around the new popular kid. In a Fox News poll released Aug. 16, Trump had 25 percent of Republican voters' support nationwide (more than double his nearest competitor, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, at 12 percent). Every word, every motion, every "Make America Great Again" hat, every insult draws headlines and viewers ("I'm a ratings machine!" he declares to me). I'll spend two and a half hours with him, and we'll talk a few days later on the phone. He tells me that many in Hollywood are privately voicing their support for him (he won't say who except to claim one significant name to me, off the record); that the Hillary email drama is "Watergate on steroids"; that his wife, Melania, 45, will start campaigning for him in late August (her issue if she were first lady would be "women's health"); and that, above all, he is a serious candidate. He admires Ronald Reagan, and a bust of the late commander in chief in his office is a business award with Trump's name on it. If the 40th president was "The Great Communicator," Trump, who rose to prominence not as an actor but by playing himself on TV, is the 21st century version: The Great Entertainer. And right now, it is working.
You're getting a ton of criticism. Does any of it actually ring true?
People say, "He won't apologize for anything" well, I was right on illegal immigration. [John] McCain blew it because he's done a poor job of taking care of the veterans. And then the third element so far, you had Megyn Kelly, and I think you've seen what happened with that. I feel quite confident in my position. At the same time, I believe in apologizing. But to apologize for me is very difficult. I definitely would apologize if I were wrong on something.
What was the last thing you apologized for?
It was too many years ago to remember. I have one of the great memories of all time, but it was too long ago.
You and Roger Ailes of Fox News are feuding over Megyn Kelly, or you're in private negotiations, or you've made peace, or you're upset again. What's really going on?
Well, he's a man that I like a lot, he's been a friend of mine for many years, and he has done an incredible job. We were at war because I felt that [Kelly's debate question about women] was unfair, and I let him know it. But it's all fine now. They were tough questions, and I thought inappropriate, but Roger didn't, and I'll go with Roger.
Will you ever be on Kelly's show?
Unlikely, but it could happen. They wanted me to do her show, but I'm not looking to do that. I know it's good show business, I know it's good for ratings, but that doesn't matter. I did Sean Hannity's show the other night it's the highest-rated show he's ever had [2.2 million viewers, his highest at 10 p.m.]. And he has been such a gentleman to me. Bill O'Reilly has been so great. He's a tough cookie, and he's smart, but he's been so fair. So I don't know.
Do you regret the Rosie O'Donnell "pig" answer?
No. Rosie actually saved me because that was a rough question. So Rosie, finally you saved me. Because the room went wild. Between the laughing and the applause it really stopped the rest of the question, which was just a continuation of "kill." That was a question that could have ruined my whole evening.
Do you need Fox News to win the nomination?
I don't know. It's a great question. I know that CNN has been wild about the whole Trump thing, whatever that is, and MSNBC has been doing it, and Meet the Press and George Stephanopoulos and Face the Nation I've been doing all of them. I don't know what has caused this whole thing, but certainly Fox is very important.
Some of your fans were making death threats to Kelly. What do you think about that?
I'm sure they don't mean that. I had heard that had happened. But I have gained such respect for the people that like me and respect me and that like my views, it's incredible.
Ronald Reagan was Hollywood's first presidential candidate, and many initially thought he was a joke. Now you're the first reality TV presidential candidate. Do you see parallels?
I hear it so often, the parallels, and if you'd have looked two months ago, three months ago, they were saying, "He'll never run." "He's just having fun," and "It's just games," and "It's just good for his brand." My brand! (Laughs.)
You voted for Reagan, right?
I did. I was friendly with him.
Is he your model?
No, he's not a model. I didn't like NAFTA [NAFTA was signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993, but Reagan first proposed a "North American accord" in a 1979 speech, and a precursor to NAFTA was signed by the U.S. and Canada in 1988.], I didn't like some of the economic policies. But he was a man that I respected and liked, and he liked me.
But he also could broach moderates, conservatives, Democrats.
He did. Well, he was a Democrat with a liberal bent as a younger man. And then he became a conservative Republican. He had a great way about him. A great sense of dignity. And he was a wonderful father for the country in a sense. He had a great feel for what the country represents.
.................................................. ......
View the complete article, including images, at:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fea...les-nbc-816131