Presumptive Republican Nominee Donald Trump stopped by Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, before heading to the other side of Los Angeles for a Republican Party fundraiser. Late Night interviews can always be interesting, as it is designed to show a different, lighter side of its guest you perhaps hadn’t seen before. Trump however, is a man whose been in the spotlight for decades, but perhaps his detractors could pick up on some of the redeeming qualities he possesses that they’ve been blind to.
The show came out of the gate with a bold joke from Kimmel, “He’s promised to make Hollywood boulevard great again by building a wall around Bill Cosby’s star on the walk of fame, and Guierlmo (Kimmel’s Latino bodyguard) is gonna pay for it!”
Kimmel also mentioned just how surprising Trump’s Presidential run has been this year in retrospect, “It’s remarkable, a year ago today people thought Donald Trump’s campaign was a joke, but today, well there are a variety of opinions, but he is the Presumptive Republican Nominee”.
They then transitioned to their next segment where they sent out Donald Trump super fan Jake Byrd to a Bernie Sanders rally. Perhaps the best moment of the entire episode occurred when Jake approached an undecided voter at the rally. “I haven’t decided who im going to vote for yet-I hate Hillary so that’s step one”, to which Jake replied, “Well that’s a step in the right direction”.
The actual interview with Trump was filled with interesting notes and substantive discussion, including his thoughts on the transgender bathroom issue, his feelings on Hillary and Bernie, and what he was really thinking this time last year. “When you started all this, I just have to believe you thought, ah this will be fun, it’ll be a four-month thing, and you never imagined it would go this far is that true?” Trump responded to the opener, “Well you know I’ve been asked that question on occasion and I will say you never know what’s going to happen”.
Kimmel also asked him about his positive remarks on Hillary Clinton from the past, “In 2008 you said you thought Hillary would make an excellent president, and as recently as 2012 you said you thought she was terrific, what did she do?” To which Trump explained as a businessman, you have to speak highly of politicians, it’s just good business sense, “If people ask me about politicians, I speak well, so when they ask me about Hillary she’s wonderful, everybody’s wonderful”, “So you were full of sh*t when you said that?” Kimmel asked while giggling, “A little bit, maybe a little bit” Trump replied with his signature smirk.
The interview also showed Trump’s softer, family loving side as the genuine love he shares for his children was beyond evident when speaking of them, “I have five great children, and I want them to be successful, I want them to do really well, I mean that’s the whole deal with your children”. The way he spoke of them showed his authentic human side, while also pointing out many of those who become ultra successful in life don’t necessarily share that trait with him, as they no longer view family as the ultimate priority, “I have friends that are very successful, and they actually don’t like seeing their son or daughter do better than them”.
Kimmel then asked Trump who would be at the fundraiser later that night in California, “At this dinner tonight, are there famous celebrities, famous people going that don’t want to be identified?” Trump responded with a significant and perhaps somewhat surprising response, “Well they’re very rich people, and very successful people, and in many cases very liberal people, and they’re all gonna be voting for me. I think many people are gonna be very surprised, you know I’m gonna make a heavy play for California”. Trump continued “no other Republican candidate for years would even waste time in California in terms of trying to win the state, I think we can win”. Sending a strong message to his future democratic opponent and perhaps the RNC, Donald expects to win this thing.
Kimmel also brought up the highly controversial transgender bathroom issue to Trump, an issue that many Republicans took exception to when Trump first offered his thoughts on the topic. He quickly cleared up any misunderstanding. “You believe transgender people should be able to use whatever bathroom they want to, which is contrary to what most people in your party believe, why do you think people are focused on that?” Trump quickly responded “I didn’t say that, what really I’m saying is and I really think it’s pretty simple, let the states decide”. Kimmel continued to push the topic, before mutually agreeing there are many more important issues we should be focusing on.
Kimmel went on to ask Trump for his opinion on the two Democrats he could potentially be facing in November. “Who do you like more, Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton?” Trump surprisingly said he think’s Bernie would be easier to beat, despite what the polls say. “Well I actually think Bernie would be easier to beat, even though he shows up a little better in the polls” He then brought up the similarities he and Bernie have in their fight against the establishment system, “but what I do like about Bernie is that when he loses, because the system is rigged against him totally, just like it was rigged against me”. Trump went on to mention the unfair advantage Hillary has had from the start with the Superdelegate system, perhaps hinting at undecided Bernie voters to come to his side.
Of course they ended the show on a lighter note, as Jimmy presented Trump with the children’s poem “Winners Aren’t Losers”, a satire dedicated to Trump’s keys to winning the presidential race. Hopelfully the interview however, showed a lighter side to Trump’s personality, and both the level of seriousness and confidence to which he is running this presedential race with.
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