1990 ‘Playboy’ Interview Foreshadowed Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign

Playboy interviewed Donald Trump in 1990, a whole 26 years ago, yet the interview still has an odd relevance today. Looking at this interview now, his words should have made his inflammatory campaign less surprising.

“I think our country needs more ego,” said Trump in 1990, “Because it is being ripped off so badly by our so-called allies; i.e., Japan, West Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, etc.”

Now in 2016 he said, “We were systematically ripped off by everybody. From China to Japan to South Korea to the Middle East, many states in the Middle East, for instance, protecting Saudi Arabia and not being properly reimbursed for every penny that we spend.”

Another of his controversial suggestions, that those killing police officers should face the death penalty, was also a part of his 1990 interview.

“In order to bring law and order back into our cities,” said Trump, “We need the death penalty and authority given back to the police.”

He even slandered past presidents back in 1990.

“Some of our presidents have been incredible jerk-offs. We need to be tough,” he said then. Now he repeats, “We need a certain toughness. We have weak people leading our country.”

It seems Trump hasn’t changed a bit. Well, maybe on one front. In the 1990 interview he said, “I don’t want the presidency.” It seems that has changed. He noted that he would do “better as a Democrat than as a Republican.”