Category Archives: Donald Trump

Donald Trump has suggested nuclear war is "more likely to happen than not" for the United States because of President Joe Biden.

Writing on Truth Social, the former president said he never thought "in my wildest imagination" that the U.S. would be involved in a nuclear war.

"Now, however, because of our leaders rhetoric and very poor choice of words, it is perhaps more likely to happen than not," Trump said.

"Russia/Ukraine would NEVER have happened under a TRUMP Administration. Now there are fewer cards to play, but still very playable. China up next?"

His comments follow Biden indicating the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if China, a major nuclear power, attacked the islandremarks the White House insisted were not a policy changeand as NATO indirectly helps Ukraine defend itself from Russia, which has the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world.

Trump made similar comments in an interview on Real America's Voice show Outside the Beltway, which aired on Monday.

"I would have never thought that would have happened, we're the greatest danger of a nuclear war, it's just a great danger. We're not a respected country anymore," he said.

The U.S. was among other countries in not wanting to fulfill Ukraine's request for a no-fly zone, with Biden fearing NATO and Russian troops clashing would be "World War III."

Trump has previously suggested that, if he were still in the White House, he would threaten Russia with nuclear submarines.

Speaking to Fox News in March, Trump said that the U.S. should deploy nuclear submarines to go "back and forth, up and down" Russia's coast in order to intimidate President Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine.

"I listened to him [Putin] constantly using the n-word, that's the n-word, and he's constantly using it: the nuclear word," Trump told Fox Business.

"And we say, 'Oh, he's a nuclear power.' But we're a greater nuclear power. We have the greatest submarines in the world, the most powerful machines ever built," Trump added.

"You should say, 'Look, you mention that word one more time, we're going to send them over and we'll be coasting back and forth, up and down your coast.'"

In January 2018, Trump also boasted the U.S. had power to annihilate North Korea.

"North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" Trump tweeted. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

Trump has also, at times, lavished praise on authoritarian rulers, repeatedly saying that getting along with countries such as Russia and China "is a good thing."

The White House has been contacted for comment.

Originally posted here:

Donald Trump Suggests Nuclear War 'More Likely To Happen Than Not' - Newsweek

Pie. To many, its a delicious treat at the end of a meal that rivals the almighty cake, so versatile that a slice of pumpkin, rhubarb, or pecan could also be enjoyed for breakfast. Some prefer chocolate, others lemon meringue. Popular the world over, apple pie is specifically synonymous with America and all things patriotic. But to former president Donald Trump, a man who was once in possession of the nuclear codes? It is a dangerous, extremely menacing piece of food whose presence he will not tolerate.

Yes, just weeks after we learned that Trump believes tomatoes, pineapples, and bananas are dangerous stuff that could kill a personand that his security team has been under strict instructions to use physical force to eliminate any such threatscomes the news that the former president of the United States at one point was absolutely terrified about being struck with pie.

The Daily Beast reports that during a four-hour deposition he sat for this month, Trumps former fixer, Michael Cohen, revealed that his old boss frequently obsessed over a 1998 incident in which Bill Gates was hit with a pie while walking into a building in Belgium, and believed the same fate would befall him. For some reason that upset Mr. Trump terribly. We were all instructed that if somebody was to ever throw anything at him, that if that persondidntend up in the hospital, wed all be fired, Cohen said, noting the directive came from Trump himself. Asked to elaborate, Cohen told Daily Beast reporter Jose Pagliery, It wasnt just one time. It was an ongoing and regular thing. As he would go out to various different open venues, he would always remind [head of security] Keith [Schiller] to keep his eyes open. He never would turn around and say, If anyone throws a rock or a bottle Its always a pie. He always brought up that pie thing.

While some might wonder about the veracity of Cohens claims, and the possibility that theyre simply an attempt by an ex-employee to embarrass their former boss, its important to remember that Trump himself spoke at length, during a sworn deposition, about his deep-rooted fear of someone throwing a tomato, pineapple, or banana at him. And that the following words literally came out of his mouth: You get hit with fruit, itsno, its very violent stuff. We were on alert for that. Its worse than tomato, its other things also. But tomato, when they start doing that stuff, its very dangerous. I wanted to have people be ready because we were put on alert that they were going to do fruit. I think that they have to be aggressive in stopping that from happening. Because if that happens, you can be killed if that happens.

Cohens testimony re: Trumps fear of piesand the instruction to his security team to hospitalize anyone packing such a weapon in his vicinityis relevant because he was answering questions as a witness for a 2015 lawsuit brought by a group of activists who allege the Trump Organizations security chief, Schiller,attacked them while they were protesting outside of Trump Tower. While Trump has sworn under oath that he did not order Schiller to rough up the protesters, and that he only learned about what happened the next day, Cohen testified that that was not actually the case.

Per The Daily Beast:

During his May 9 deposition, Cohen described the scene that day. He saw protesters on his way into Trump Tower that morning, then eventually made his way into Trumps office on the 26th floor. When he informed his boss about the gathering downstairs, Trump called in Schiller.

Did you see that theres a demonstration going on? Trump asked, according to Cohen. Get rid of them.

OK, boss, Schiller allegedly said. When Schiller reappeared in his bosss office less than half an hour later, he had a large piece of a cardboard sign he had ripped out of the hand of Queens resident and demonstrator Efrain Galicia.

According to Cohen, Schiller told Trump, I took the sign. He grabbed me, so I hit him across the side of the head, to which Trump responded, Good.

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Report: Trumps Security Team Was Under Strict Instructions to Hospitalize Anyone They Suspected Might Hit Him With a Piece of Pie - Vanity Fair

Saturday is the big day, and now Republican House of Representatives candidate Harriet Hageman and former president Donald Trump want to make it even bigger, which is why they're holding a pre-rally reception with proceeds benefitting Hageman's campaign.

The reception will occur at the Ford Wyoming Center, beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 28.

In addition to Trump, the invitation to the event also states that "additional special guests" will be announced.

According to the invitation, $500 will get you 1 VIP reception ticket as well as expedited entry into the rally. $1,000 will get you 2 VIP reception tickets and expedited entry. Individuals can also serve as hosts of the event, according to the invite, for $1,000.

But the big ticket item is this: a photo opportunity with the 45th President of the United States for $15,000.

If you've ever wanted to meet the president and pose for a selfie, now is your chance.

Trump has endorsed Hageman as the heir, apparently, to dethrone Congresswoman Cheney from her seat in the House of Representatives. This came after a bitter war of words between the former president and the current congresswoman, when Cheney voted to impeach Trump for his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol Attacks.

Still, even though Hageman has Trump's endorsement, Congresswoman Cheney has more money.

As of April 25, 2022, it was reported that Cheney has raised nearly five times as much money as Hageman for her campaign.

"In total, Cheney has raised$10,121,333, while Hageman, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and previously came in third in the primary for governor in 2018, has raised$2,067,149 so far," K2 Radio News reported.

Read More:Cheney has five times as much as Hageman in campaign donations

After this weekend, Hageman will look to close the gap relating to finances, and this pre-rally reception seems to be the way she's hoping to do it.

The reception is sponsored byCameron & Kia Britt, Kelly & Gena Burch, Julie Collins, Former Congresswoman Barbara Cubin, Ken Dockweiler, Marty Finch, Heath Hornecker, Bob & Cathy Ide, Max Jacobson, Kara Linn, Tom Litman, John Roth, and Joe & Jessie Rubino.

Those interested in the pre-rally reception can RSVP at this link.

Link:

$15,000 Gets You A Photo Opp With Donald Trump at Pre-Rally Reception in Casper - K2 Radio

Former Vice President Mike Pence has not officially declared whether he will launch a 2024 presidential run, but he has taken several steps that indicate he is prepared to face former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination if he runs too.

The former president's running mate and second in command has taken several steps to distance himself from Trump ever since they both left office in 2021, including rebuking Trump's suggestion earlier this year that he had the power to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

"President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election," Pence said during a February speech before the Federalist Society in Florida. "The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone. Frankly there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president."

In recent months, Pence has made several symbolic moves that are raising his profile in the political sphere and establishing himself as a foil to Trump in key ways. This includes his April visit to the Charlottesville, Virginia, memorial for Heather Heyer, who was killed in a white supremacist riot in which Trump notably attributed the blame to "both sides." And this week, Pence is set to help rally for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who Trump has denounced as a "RINO" (Republican in name only).

Politico described Pence's plans to speak at the Georgia rally as his "most aggressive political move yet in defiance of his former patron and ticket-mate."

In March this year, while speaking to Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, Pence refused to rule out the possibility of a 2024 run.

"I'm confident the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who will be the next president of the United States of America and at the right time, my family and I will reflect and consider how we might participate in that process," he said.

Though Trump also has yet to formally announce whether he will run in 2024, he has teased a potential bid. While speaking about the possibility of again becoming a presidential candidate during a March rally in Georgia, he said: "We just may have to do it again."

He also reiterated unproven claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election at the Georgia rally.

"The truth is I ran twice, I won twice and I did much better the second time. And now we just may have to do it again," he told the crowd.

Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich criticized Pence's recent political moves in a statement shared with the New York Times.

"Mike Pence was set to lose a governor's race in 2016 before he was plucked up and his political career was salvaged," the statement read. "Now, desperate to chase his lost relevance, Pence is parachuting into races, hoping someone is paying attention. The reality is, President Trump is already 82-3 with his endorsements, and there's nothing stopping him from saving America in 2022 and beyond."

Even if Pence is preparing for a 2024 presidential run against Trump, the chances of him beating out the former president may be slim. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll from late January this year found that Trump received 57 percent of GOP support, while Pence received 11 percent.

Newsweek reached out to Pence's team and a Trump spokesperson for comment.

Read the rest here:

Mike Pence is Prepared to Take On Donald Trump in 2024 - Newsweek

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is willing to spend over $100 million on his preferred candidate in the 2024 election.

What Happened: In a recent podcast interview with Jacob Goldstein, Bankman-Fried said he had a soft cap of $1 billion that he would likely spend on supporting his ideal candidate in a presidential campaign.

Goldstein asked whether the FTX chief was going to be a big spender on campaigns in the next election cycle, to which Bankman-Fried responded that it would largely depend on who would be running.

Lets say Donald Trump runs for President. Would that cause you to probably give a lot of money to the person who was running against him, asked Goldstein.

Thats a pretty decent guess, replied Bankman-Fried, who explained that hewould be looking less at the political party itself and would focus his attention on sane governance.

Bankman-Fried believes that the U.S. has a big responsibility to the world to shepherd the west in a powerful, but responsible, manner.

Everything that we do there has massive, massive ripple effects on what the future looks like, he said.

The billionaire entrepreneuris known to have made significant donations to political campaigns in the past. In 2022, he made a $23 million donation to a single Political Action Committee (PAC).

Bankman-Fried is also a big believer in Proof-of-Stake blockchains and their role in the future of cryptocurrencies. Earlier this month, he said Bitcoin BTC/USD has no future as a payments network.

See Also: PROOF OF STAKE VS PROOF OF WORK

Price Action: According to data from Benzinga Pro, BTC was trading at $29,755, down 2% over the last 24 hours.

Photo: Courtesy of Cointelegraph via Wikimedia

Excerpt from:

FTX Chief Willing To Spend $1B Against Donald Trump In 2024 - Benzinga - Benzinga

JOE LYONS| Burlington

I am so tired of right-wing media and even some of mainstream media portraying Donald Trump as a strong leader and an astute politician.

The awful truth is that he is now, and has always been, a serial liar and a third-rate demagogue.He cares about nothing except himself not his party, not his country, not his friends. He is quite willing to throw his colleagues under the bus if they disagree with his inane views and opinions.

Nor was he a self-made businessman: His father had to bail him out of several serious bankruptcies, and both his initial secretaries of state and defense criticized his abhorrent behavior as president. And now he is under investigation for income tax evasion and bank fraud.

But his most flagrant actions occurred before and during the Jan. 6 insurrection, which he illegally incited. So stay tuned for his coming indictments by the Department of Justice and hopefully for his much-deserved incarceration.

JOE LYONS

Burlington

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Donald Trump: Reader depicts the 'real story' of the former president - Burlington Times News

WASHINGTON DC Donald Trump left office a year and a half ago. In that time there has been no shortage of books of varying quality about his term as president of the United States. These books normally fall into one of two camps.

The first campis what I call the Covering Trump book. These are reported books by journalists about Trump and his administration. There were many such books during the Trump years so many that Carlos Lozada, Washington Post book critic, wrote a book about all the books about Trump and the end of his term in the White House did not mean the end of the genre.

Last year we had, among others, I Alone Can Fix It by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker and Frankly, We Did Win This Election by Michael C Bender, both New York Times best-sellers. This year we will have Susan Glasser and Peter Bakers The Divider in September and Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie Haberman, arguably the reporter with the best sources of the Trump era, in October.

More recently we had This Will Not Pass by the New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns. Upon publication, both journalists came under heavy criticism for withholding information namely the disgust with which leading congressional Republicans reacted to Trumps incitement of an insurrection on 6 January 2021 that perhaps could have been useful to the health of the American republic had it been reported at the time, or at least not saved for a book more than a year later. (This Will Not Pass was also a say it with me! New York Times bestseller.) The criticism is not unique to Martin and Burns; Bob Woodward was similarly censured for saving the revelation that Trump knew Covid-19 was dangerous, even while he publicly played it down, for his 2020 book Rage.

The other campis what I call the Covered for Trump book books published by former Trump officials and allies about their time working with him. On 10 May, Mark Esper, Trumps defence secretary, published A Sacred Oath, in which he described Trump musing about having protesters shot in the legs. Many, including Trumps niece, also accused Esper of keeping information to himself to use itfor hisbook. Esper wasnt the first from Team Trump to write this kind of book: consider, for example, the press secretary Stephanie Grishams Ill Take Your Questions Now,in which Trump comes off as surprise! chaotic and wholly unfit for the office of the president. Nor was Esper the last.

A memoir from Kellyanne Conway, Trumps longtime senior adviser, is outtoday (24 May). In the book, titled Heres the Deal,Conway sensationally writes that democracy will survive, but alas, her marriage to the vocal Trump critic George Conway may not. While perhaps some might find it comfortingthat Kellyanne Conway has faith in the democracy that she actively worked for years to corrode, I dont see how a tell-all by a person who repeatedly told lies excuse me, alternative facts is a trustworthy document.

I dont mean to suggest that these two types of books are the same. Covering Trump is not the same thing as going to work for him. Still, in both cases, as salacious details drip out, as we learn that as bad as we thought his presidency was, the reality was actually far worse, as Trump book after Trump book becomes a best-seller, Im left wondering: what exactly are we doing with any of this information? If Trump runs for the White House again in 2024, will these books lead voters to view him more thoughtfully? Will it lead journalists to cover him more critically? Will Republican operatives think twice before going to work for him? Or will we all go on, the same as before, the better to gather material to publish in future books?

[See also: Are we prepared for Donald Trump to return to Twitter?]

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Kellyanne Conway's new memoir and the two genres of Trump book - The New Statesman

WWE has had many celebrities taking part in various matches as participants or ringside guests. Vince McMahon has always minted dollars out of these appearances by the celebrities at major events or weekly shows. One such celebrity who has appeared at WWE events is the forty-fifth U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Donald Trump and Vince McMahon share a great relationship. The former US president provided WWE with arenas for WrestleMania 4 and 5 and had a feud with The Boss at WrestleMania 23.

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A WWE fan will never forget the Battle of Billionaires match between Bobby Lashley w/Donald Trump and Umaga w/Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23. The company hyped the match among the fans, as the stipulation was Hair vs Hair.

Bobby Lashley won the match, and eventually, Donald Trump won the feud. Per the stipulation, Trump and Lashley shaved the head of Mr.McMahon in the middle of the ring. As per Bleacher Report, Trump earned a whopping $4 million dollars in all the appearances leading up to this feud to WrestleMania. All the money which Trump earned went to charity in the Donald J. Trump Foundation.

This was not the first time Donald Trump had appeared on a WWE show, but it was his first major feud. Two years after the Battle of Billionaires, the former US President appeared on WWE as a guest host on RAW. This appearance earned him an extra $1 million dollars, which went to his charity funds.

The money Trump minted in his all WWE appearances directly went to his charity, which is a good thing. Since Mr. McMahon and Donald Trump are friends, The Chairman might not have hesitated to pay him this amount as it went for a good cause.

Hulk Hogan was excited to face his arch-rival Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 4. Before going into the match, Mean Gene interviewed Hogan, who cut a promo on his opponent.

DIVE DEEPER

Hulk Hogan Had Bizarre Idea to Run As Former President Donald Trumps RunningMate

3 days ago

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Hogan claimed that when he would slam Andre, the East Coast of the USA would separate from the mainland and the impact would result in mega destruction for many citizens. However, during the promo, Hogan started talking about being there to save Donald Trump if his bout with Andre caused any destruction.

He added, But Donald; if something happens, you run out of gas, and all those little Hulkamaniacs run out of gas, just hang on to the largest back in the world, and Ill dog-paddle us, backstroke us all to safety!

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Watch this story:- From Being An Ice Hockey Fan to Hunting: Brock Lesnars Favorite Hobbies Outside WWE

Was Trumps love for Hulkamania the thing that gave rise to him hosting WrestleMania 4 & 5 at his arena and being associated with WWE in the future as well?

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How Much Did Former President Donald Trump Earn For Shaving The Head of Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23? - EssentiallySports

Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

Last December, when Donald Trump talked former U.S. senator David Perdue into challenging his bitter enemy, Georgia governor Brian Kemp, in the states May 24 Republican primary, it initially looked like a political coup for the ex-president. Perdue had high name ID, demonstrated fundraising chops, and a persuasive argument that only he could heal divisions among Georgia Republicans over Trumps efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss. Reuniting Republicans was a crucial task, as the winner of the gubernatorial primary would likely face Democratic star Stacey Abrams in the general election.

Now, days ahead of Tuesdays primary, Perdue is limping to the finish line in such poor shape that Trump is reportedly writing him off, as NBC News reports:

Even the man who recruited Perdue to run against Kemp former President Donald Trump seems to have given his campaign up for dead, said three Republicans who have spoken to Trump. They say Trump has groused about what he believes is a lackluster campaign effort from Perdue.

Trump isnt planning to make any more personal appearances in Georgia in Perdues behalf, having sunk enough of his own political capital in a race that looks like a lost cause, said a fourth source, a person close to the former president.

Trump has denied these reports, insisting on Truth Social, I am with David all the way because Brian Kemp was the WORST Governor in the Country on Election Integrity! But any pessimism the former president is privately expressing seems rational. Its looking so bad for Perdue that the once-formidable senator is trying to lower expectations himself:

Perdue is understandably upset by a new Fox News poll showing him trailing Kemp 60-28. Whatever you think of that particular survey, it confirms a pro-Kemp trend that has been steadily building for months, reinforced by a big financial advantage. The incumbent has convinced an awful lot of MAGA voters that his disagreements with the ex-president over the 2020 election are less important than his solidly right-wing record, his adroit manipulation of gubernatorial powers (he recently suspended collection of state gasoline taxes, a crowd-pleasing move if ever there was one), and the nasty, ruthless streak he showed in edging out Abrams in 2018.

The governors race isnt the only potential source of bad news for Trump in Georgia on Tuesday. He endorsed ten candidates in the primary up and down the ballot in an attempted show of force. But he probably intervened in the primaries for attorney general and for insurance commissioner too late for his little-known candidates to topple incumbents. And his endorsement of party-switching former Democrat Vernon Jones in the Tenth Congressional District is looking iffy. Jones is struggling to make a runoff against front-runner Mike Collins, a trucking executive who drives a big rig around the campaign trail emblazoned with the legend: TRUMP AGENDA.

Aside from Perdues near-certain loss, the biggest blow to the 45th presidents ego and perceived power could come in the secretary of State primary. Incumbent Brad Raffensperger, who, if possible, exceeds Kemp as a target of Trumps ire, is running a strong race for renomination. Raffensperger certified Bidens 2020 Georgia win, and when Trump attacked him for blocking his efforts to reverse the results, he released a tape of the then-president asking him to find enough votes to flip Georgia. This move exposed Trump to possible criminal prosecution in Atlanta. Unlike Kemp, who has largely ignored all the attacks from Mar-a-Lago, Raffensperger has been loud and proud about his defiance of demands to steal the election for Trump. The early assumption was that once Trump recruited a sitting congressman, Jody Hice, to take down the secretary of State, hed fall hard. But Raffensperger has shrewdly used his personal wealth to run ads depicting himself as a champion of Georgias controversial new election law and as the archenemy of Stacy Abrams. Hice, meanwhile, has struggled with fundraising and seems to be saving his dough for an August runoff (a calculated risk based on two other minor candidates being in the primary field). If Raffensperger wins on May 24, Trump and Hice will have no one but themselves to blame.

Even if everything else goes south in Georgia on May 24 for Trump, his silver lining will be his longtime personal friend, the football legend Herschel Walker, who is expected to win the U.S. Senate GOP primary handily without a runoff. One primary opponent, longtime Agriculture commissioner Gary Black, has tried to gain traction with harsh attacks on Walkers background (including incidents of alleged domestic abuse related to Walkers admitted history of mental illness). All Walkers Republican rivals have accomplished in the race is to inadvertently dig up some dirt for Walkers general-election opponent, Senator Raphael Warnock. The incumbent has been quietly putting together a record-setting stash of contributions for what could be an epic general-election battle between two celebrity politicians.

Warnock and Abrams have no primary opposition. All the action in the Republican primaries has led to strong early voting (most of it in person), some of it provided by Democrats (an estimated 7 percent of GOP turnout) who in this open-primary state want to vote against Trumps candidates or help pick a general-election loser. But theres also a lot of optimism among Republicans that the midterm election dynamics can help them reverse their shocking 2020 losses in the recently reliable red state. One factor heading toward the general election will be whether Trump can overcome his pique over Perdues (and possibly Hices) impending defeat and join the party fight against Warnock and Abrams. In Georgia, the former presidents self-absorption was widely blamed for the losses by Perdue and his fellow incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, in the January 5, 2021, general-election runoff that gave Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. Democrats hope and Republicans fear an angry former president could sabotage his party again.

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Trump Faces More Humiliation in Georgia Republican Primary - New York Magazine

TULSA Donald Trump, former president of the United States and golf nut, said in a phone interview on Wednesday night that he will not be watching the 104th PGA Championship, which began here on Thursday at the historic Southern Hills Country Club, site of seven previous major championships.

I wont be watching it, no, Trump told me in a phone interview. I will not watch it. The only thing I like about it is that I love Oklahoma where, as you pointed out brilliantly, I have won 77 outta 77 counties. But I will not be watching it. No.

Trump was referring to a long piece I wrote, which originally appeared on FirePitCollective.com on Monday, that seeks to explain why the PGA of America moved this years tournament from Trump Bedminster to Southern Hills in the wake of the Jan. 6 lethal violence at the U.S. Capitol and the threat to American democracy and ideals it represented.

Throughout the interview, which came with no advance notice, Trump sounded relaxed and upbeat and much as he did before he entered politics. I had not talked to him in about seven years. Prior to that, I had interviewed him often over a 15-year period as he went on a golf-course buying spree. On Wednesday he said something that he has said many times before: I only do great. Im very good at property.

Trump watches a lot of golf on TV but his decision not to watch this years PGA Championship is an informal act of protest. For more than six years, Trump looked forward to being the host this week. The 2022 PGA Championship would have been the first time any of his 25 or so courses had been used for one of the four major mens events. Anybody who knows Trump as a golf entrepreneur knows the intense wooing he has done in an attempt to achieve that goal. He was finally rewarded on April 30, 2014, when the PGA of America announced that Trumps course in Bedminster, N.J., would be the venue for the 2022 PGA Championship. He had his major, the first of many, he hoped. Even after Trumps defeat in the 2020 presidential election, the PGA was something he eagerly anticipated.

And then came the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. To say they impacted the professional golf schedule is beyond trite but they did. Trump said he heard about the PGAs decision from his son Eric, who runs the golf business of the Trump Organization. My son, whos a great guy, called, Trump said. My son said, Dad, theyre canceling the PGA Championship [at Trump Bedminster]. I said, Thats terrible. Really? Are you serious? He said, Yeah, theyre canceling it. Can you believe it? I said, Not really. Let me think about that. Thats something.

(Some of Trumps comments have been lightly edited for clarity. Clean it up a little bit because sometimes when Im discussing things with a reporter, I speak differently than if Im making a speech. Then I speak perfectly, Trump said.)

And then I had to get back to work and China and all this stuff, Russia, the country. But its a hell of a thing when you hear that.

I wouldve loved to have done it and because I have the right place, I have the right location, the Tom Fazio course he feels it was one of his best jobs hes ever done. Its essentially right outside the Lincoln Tunnel, 20 minutes away. Its perfect and big. And I have the two courses there. We have parking for thousands of cars. It would have been phenomenal.

The Trump Bedminster property is in the New Jersey horse country on the former John DeLorean estate, and it is 20 minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel by helicopter. (Google Maps has it, in rare traffic-free conditions, as a 54-minute car ride from the Jersey side of the tunnel named for the 16th president.) Many people who have spent time with Trump, from long before he became a candidate for president, have known not to take much of what he says literally. To some degree, his hyperbole is his sense of humor. But nobody would doubt that the Bedminster property would have room to park thousands of cars.

Trump said that Trump Bedminster will now be the venue for a tournament in mid-July, the third event of a new golf league financed by the Saudis Public Investment Fund and called the LIV Golf series. It is run by Greg Norman. Trump, who was speaking from Mar-a-Lago, an estate and private club he owns in South Florida, said he expects to attend that July event.

They asked me, they said they wanted to use the course, Trump said, speaking of the LIV Golf executives. I made a deal with them. Theyre very good people. Theyre very fine people. Greg Normans been a total gentleman, you know, and hes wanted to do this for years and now he has the right backers because, you know, [the Saudi money] is unlimited. They can do the job right. I think when you put up first-place prize money for $6 or $7 million, I think a lot of people are gonna be showing up, to be honest with you.

The LIV Series will feature three-day, 54-hole events with team and individual components for 48 players. The event at Trump Bedminster will have a $25 million purse. The winner will receive $4 million, plus any money he may make in the team aspect of the competition. The series is open to male professionals and amateurs and only by invitation. Speculation has run rampant about who might be playing in the first event, in London in early June. The season finale, in mid-October, will be held at Trump Doral in Miami. The purse for that event is $50 million.

Yes, the numbers are dizzying, as they are meant to be. At this weeks PGA Championship, 156 players are in the field and the winner will receive $2.1 million.

I asked Trump if he thought the LIV Series would be viable for years to come. Heres the thing, he said. You could take a rich guy and start a tour and lose $100 million for a couple of years. Every rich guy I know, I dont care how rich, including me after a couple of years, will say, Well, thats enough of that stuff.

And you sort of saw that on the Nike Tour where youve had about 10 different sponsors over the years, because sponsors got tired of losing money. Right? But Saudi Arabia loves golf. The top guys there love golf. I know them very well and theyre very good people, the people that are involved. Five years ago they didnt know anything about golf. Theyre incredibly wanting to do this and theyre willing to spend, they have unlimited pockets, Michael. Unlimited pockets. Right?

Everybodys limited. Im limited. All the rich guys you and I know are limited. Were all limited, because we dont wanna lose $100 million a year for the rest of our lives. Right? But Saudi Arabia has unlimited pockets, and its good for the country and its good for everything.

In other words, yes. Trump is bullish on their chances.

Had the Jan. 6 protests been peaceful, I asked Trump, would the golf world including Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler but not Phil Mickelson, the defending champion who is not playing be gathered this week in Bedminster?

Ill tell you this, Trump said. If you took a poll inside the PGA, the 28,000 members of the PGA of America, Id be 97 percent, I believe. Id be way up there. And people are really angry at what the PGA did to me by taking that tournament away. And I had nothing to do with January 6th. Theyd be very angry at what they did.

I meaning my people told Nancy Pelosi on January 3rd that I think theres a big crowd coming. I think you should have 10,000 soldiers wrapped around the Capitol or in the Capitol. And she said, No, it wont be a good look.

And that was up to her because shes in charge of the security. So if you had had a thousand soldiers, Michael, you wouldnt have had January 6th. And shes the one that turned it down because shes in charge of security. I had nothing to do with January 6th, but [the PGA of America] used that.

It should be noted that representatives for Pelosi, the House speaker, have dismissed the claim that she rejected the suggestion for more security for Jan. 6. They also point out that House speakers do not have authority over Capitol Hill security.

I should also note, despite that lapse into politics, and there were others, that Trump spoke casually and happily for more than 40 minutes chiefly on a subject that is dear to him: golf, golfers and most especially golf, and golfers, on his courses. Trumps unscheduled call to me came in response to interview requests I had made while reporting the long Fire Pit Collective piece. I had just filled the tank on my Nissan Rogue rental car at a Phillips 66 station on Route 66 in Tulsa when my phone rang. NO CALLER ID, the screen read. I answered and it was the former president, calling directly.

The earlier story, entitled Trumped, seeks to explain how the 2022 PGA Championship landed at Trump Bedminster, when the organizations CEO was Pete Bevacqua and how it was moved from there by Bevacquas successor, Seth Waugh. Bevacqua was named CEO of the PGA of America in late 2012 and is now the chairman of the NBC Sports Group. Waugh is a former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas.

In remarkable and personal detail and telling the story in the present tense, Trump described how Bevacqua went from the USGA to a talent agency before becoming, with Trumps help (per Trump) the PGA of Americas CEO. Trump knew Bevacqua when he worked for the USGA. So Pete is now an agent or something and I speak to him and I say, Pete, do you have any interest in heading the PGA of America? Trump said, telling the story with a certain glee and energy. He says, Uh, I would cut off my right arm for it. And then Pete gets hired for a fortune by NBC not my friends, NBC but Pete gets hired for an absolute fortune by NBC.

After Bevacquas move from the PGA of America to NBC Sports, in Trumps telling, the standing of Trump Golf with the PGA of America fell. Trump heaped praise on Bevacqua and was dismissive of Waugh. In the piece posted on Monday, Waugh said, Everybody wants to make this a political move, but we got put into a political place that was not of our own making. My feeling was we could do existential damage to our brand by staying at Bedminster.

Trump knows many PGA Tour players, including Jim Herman, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Not one prominent active player has publicly stood with Trump on the PGA of Americas decision to move this years PGA Championship from Trump Bedminster. But Trump noted several times what Jack Nicklaus, whom Trump has hired for design work, said in the earlier piece.

I like Seth Waugh, Nicklaus said in that story. Seth didnt need this job. He took the job because he thought he could give the PGA of America some good guidance. And I think hes doing that. But this move is cancel culture. Donald Trump may be a lot of things, but he loves golf and he loves this country. Hes a student of the game and a formidable figure in the game. What he does in the future in golf will depend on what the cancel culture will allow him to do.

Ive been very good for golf, Trump said, after discussing the quote. Jack Nicklaus said it: Hes been great for golf.

I asked Trump about the settlement he reached with the PGA of America on a lawsuit over the moved tournament. Trump did not divulge the number.

It was fine, it was fine, he said. But money cant replace that. I dont need money and cant replace that. They did something so terrible. They took away a major from somebody thats done a great job for golf.

Years ago, when Trump had a course-construction contract with a construction company owned by Nicklaus, the two men were feuding. In that period, I told Trump how much I liked a public course in North Palm Beach, Fla., that Nicklaus designed on a pro-bono basis. Trump said (and this is from memory), I went to that course, that muni. I put on my disguise and bought a little ticket and walked around. That course is a piece of shit. You know nothing about golf. He was being funny, Im sure. I doubt he ever got past the parking lot, if he got that close. But the two men did not have a good relationship. In the years since, that has all changed.

In 2014, I was interviewing Nicklaus in his office in North Palm Beach about his life in golf. Near the end, Nicklaus said he had to wrap things up, because Trump and Kerry Haig, a PGA of America official, were waiting in another room to discuss possible sites for the PGA Championship, courses that would have both the Trump and Nicklaus stamps on them.

I asked Trump if he still thought he might get a mens major championship at one of his courses, including Trump Turnberry on the rugged West Coast of Scotland, where the British Open was played in 1977, 1986, 1994 and 2009.

I think its highly unlikely, he said.

We talked about the Turnberry course, where Tom Watson won the 77 Open, over Nicklaus, and lost the 09 Open, at age 59, in a playoff with Stewart Cink. Turnberry , you know its very interesting, Trump said. In Europe, Ive been given great credit for the job I did at Turnberry. I rebuilt greens, I moved the 9th hole out into the ocean. I moved the 11th hole and the 10th hole out into the ocean. You know, you had the ocean. I remember when Tom Watson say hello to him when you can; I love Tom Watson said, Why dont you move, I think he said, the 11th hole? You know, Tom Watson. He won five Opens, and I think he won five Senior Opens. Would you say he was a good links player?

Beyond good. Watson won five British Opens and three Senior British Opens, by the way. But I had to look it up. While speaking with Trump, I mentioned the name Bob Charles (great links golfer from New Zealand) when I meant Peter Thomson (far greater links golfer from Australia). Trump picked up on the mistake immediately. He knows a lot about golf and he is good at golf, although some of the scores he has reported over the years, and some of the club titles he claims, seem beyond unlikely.

I asked about the 2018 club championship at his West Palm Beach course. A story I wrote for Golf.com about the event ran under this comical headline: President Trump won a 2018 club championship without actually playing in it! After the event, a small gold plaque was put on his locker, under his name. There were six plaques in all, for events he won, the last one honoring the course owner as the 2018 mens club champion. The actual winner was a New York financier named Ted Virtue.

Teds a nice guy, Trump said. Well play golf with him. Hes a high-quality guy.

I asked Trump if he had challenged Virtue to a nine-hole match after Virtue had won the title.

I did, Trump said. I was not able to be down to Florida very much. So he won down in Florida. He played good and he won. Hes a good player. I said, So Ted, I heard you won. I met him on the 10th hole. I said, Im gonna challenge you now for the club championship. Which of course he wouldnt do, because the club championship is like a four-day deal. You have to win your different matches and all that stuff. I said, Ted, Im challenging you. He said, OK, Ill do it. Which is cute. And we did it. I did challenge him, but I did not accept [the title]. Youre not gonna see my name up there. Now I did win the senior club championship there two weeks ago. And Ive won the senior club championship in Bedminster too. So thats good.

I dont know precisely what Trump meant when he said you wouldnt see his name up there. Most likely his name in gold paint, on stained wood, on a clubhouse wall, as the 2018 senior champion. As noted, precision is not Trumps strength. That relates to his golf too. His driving game is far better than his chipping game. Most of his golf is casual and contested at match play, which is why the scores he claims should not be taken seriously, even though they do reveal something significant about him. Regardless, just in terms of his golfing skill and his devotion to golf, he is head and shoulders above any other golfing president, although JFK had a lovely, flowing patrician swing with little oomph. Trumps swing is an effective lunge in which he makes good use of his heft.

This is getting long! But thats because golf is a sweet spot for Trump. Im on 18 here.

I asked Trump if he expected Mickelson or DeChambeau or Johnson to play in any or all of the LIV events.

I dont know, Trump said. I know [the PGA Tour] is putting a lot of pressure on the players [not to play]. I dont think its legal. Itll end up going to court someday. And youre gonna find out whether or not the Tour has the Constitutional right to stop them, to preclude them from playing. I think theyd want to play. Phil got himself into a little trouble with his explanations. That could have been better handled, I guess. But Phils Phil. Why is he not playing? Whats the real reason hes not playing? Do you know?

I said I didnt but offered that maybe he was embarrassed by the remarks he made to my colleague Alan Shipnuck about the Saudi golf investors and the PGA Tour. I said maybe he was not ready to be with his peers and face reporters. He cant be embarrassed, not that bad, Trump said. Phil is, you know, a good guy, a great representative [for golf]. You know, with the smile and the whole deal. And Phil should be out playing in this championship. His manner, when he walks around with a smile, tipping the cap, the whole thing. You know?

I do. Everybody who follows the pro game does.

I asked Trump if he expected to see Mickelson in the Mickelson Villa at Trump Doral when the final event of the LIV inaugural season is played in October.

Well, hopefully, Trump said, laughing.

I mentioned Woods. Theres a villa at Trump Doral named for Tiger too.

I gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of what hes been through, after he won that [2019] Masters, Trump said. That was incredible. And frankly, even when he played [at this years Masters], that was incredible.

Trump brought up something from the earlier story, that (in my opinion) he was never embraced by the upper-crust, elite Eastern Establishment golf people. I found your statement interesting, Trump said. You know, they treat me great. Like when I go out to National [Golf Links] or any of these places? You dont know anybody. Youve never heard of anybody. Youre meeting these people. Youve never heard of Worthington Smith the third or the fifth. Right? You dont know any of these people and its sort of strange because usually I know people, weve worked together or whatever. But they treat me great. And I do love Winged Foot.

Trump is a longtime member at Winged Foot, where DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open. After his win, on that Sunday night, DeChambeau hung out with Eric Trump at the Trump course in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Eric once told me about the success he had been having with a TaylorMade driver given to him by Dustin Johnson.

It was interesting to hear Trump mention Winged Foot. He plays nearly all his golf at courses that bear his name, and golf conversation with him is usually about those courses as well. When I asked him when he had last played, I got another surprise. His most recent round had been last Saturday, at Dallas National. I played with Scottie Scheffler and I played with Tony Romo, Trump said, along with two others from the club. And you might ask them about the round if you want, if youre with Scottie. I love Scottie. We had a great time. Tony Romo hes a very good player, And Scottie Scheffler? I mean, man, hes very good.

I asked Trump how he played.

I played good, he said. I mean, youd have to ask them. But if you asked them, I think theyd say very good. I had a lot of people watching that first tee shot, getting that ball off the tee. We had a lot of people, and it was good.

Regarding Scheffler, Trump said, Hes favored to win this week, right?

You had the feeling that Donald Trump, former President and golf nut, might sneak just a peek at the golf from Southern Hills this week.

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Donald Trump speaks out on Phil, Jack, Saudi Arabia and the PGA that got away - GolfDigest.com