Today\’s quote comes from the nothing-if-not-quotable (some would say, nothing at all other than quotable) Donald Trump.
In previous blogs, I have referred to Trump as The World\’s Richest Barroom Loudmouth” and as an egomaniac. And both were in full bloom with this comment, made on this morning\’s Today Show, regarding his performance on Fox News Channel\’s Republican presidential debate, which drew a record-shattering 24 million viewers:
“If I wasn\’t on the show, they would have had two million people watching,” Trump said. “The other candidates are very lucky because at least people are watching what they\’re saying as opposed to nobody caring.”
FYI – to you, but especially to Trump: The earlier debate, at 5:00PM – a deadly time for viewership, which consisted of the 7 lowest-polling Republican candidates…..generated 6.1 million viewers.
Comparing it to the numbers for the previous Thursday, that is more than double the total……for Fox, and CNN, and MSNBC, and CNBC and HLN combined.
Would it be fair to say that if the 7 lowest-ranking candidates, at a lousy time period, could draw more than triple that 2 million figure – and more than double the entire viewership of every 5:00PM cable news venue combined – the prime time debate, with the highest ranking candidates, would have drawn one helluva lot more…even without Donald Trump?
This demonstration of what you get when a combined loudmouth and egomaniac is given a chance to tell you how great he is garners Donald Trump Quote Of The Day honors.
Incidentally, Trump made so many more “I am the greatest” comments during his few minutes on this morning\’s Today show, that Muhammad Ali should sue him for plagiarism. When NBC puts up the segment, I\’ll add a link so you can hear it for yourself.
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UPDATE: Click here for the video (or, more exactly, audio, since it was a telephone interview).
Listen to him say, among other things, that:
-“even the other candidates came up to me” and said Megyn Kelly\’s question was out of line (:42). Sure, his opponents, who have called him a “jackass, an “asshole” and assorted other epithets, largely because of things he has said, were outraged that Ms. Kelly asked him a question about things he has said. Very, very credible. I\’m sure that, as I type this, they are lining up to pledge their support.
-he got “the largest applause of the day by far” for saying he insulted Rosie O\’Donnell (:55),
-when Trump was disinvited from an event in Atlanta by a conservative running the event “there were virtual riots, the people went nuts when they heard I wasn\’t coming” (1:51). Do you recall hearing about riots there? People going nuts? Me neither,
-“I happen to be a smart person. I went to the best schools, I was a great student, I built a great empire” (2:10) – As you can see, self-effacement is not high on Mr. Trump\’s self-description list. And while I respect the size of his business enterprises, it certainly didn\’t hurt that his father was a successful, wealthy builder. Trump did not exactly work himself up from the ground floor,
-And then, of course, the braggadocio about viewership (3:50), which is detailed above.
And that is in less than 3 1/2 minutes.
Did I call Donald Trump an ego maniac?
I never realized I was so good at understatement….
