[h=1]Call Donald Trump a clown all you like, but he's electrified this boring election and I suspect he'll have the last laugh like he normally does[/h]By PIERS MORGAN FOR MAILONLINE
I once walked around the streets of Manhattan with Donald Trump.
It was an extraordinary experience. Everywhere we went, he was mobbed by ecstatic New Yorkers and tourists.
All cheering, shouting his name, fist-bumping if they got close enough and frantically demanding selfies.
It was like being with a rock star.
And in many ways, that’s exactly what Trump is.
He’s big, brash, bold and bombastic. But he’s also a major star; arguably the most famous businessman in the world, and host of a long-running, very successful TV series, The Apprentice.
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On Tuesday Trump announced he is running for President.The reaction was almost comically predictable. Much of America’s mainstream media rose up in indignant outrage to say what a clown he is, whilst simultaneously packing Trump Tower where he made the announcement
It was an extraordinary experience. Everywhere we went, he was mobbed by ecstatic New Yorkers and tourists.
All cheering, shouting his name, fist-bumping if they got close enough and frantically demanding selfies.
It was like being with a rock star.
And in many ways, that’s exactly what Trump is.
He’s big, brash, bold and bombastic. But he’s also a major star; arguably the most famous businessman in the world, and host of a long-running, very successful TV series, The Apprentice.
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On Tuesday Trump announced he is running for President.The reaction was almost comically predictable. Much of America’s mainstream media rose up in indignant outrage to say what a clown he is, whilst simultaneously packing Trump Tower where he made the announcement
Let me declare an interest here: I won Trump’s first season of Celebrity Apprentice seven years ago. Since then, we have become good friends and speak on a regular basis.
I like him. He’s smart, funny, loyal and thoroughly entertaining.
And he’s no political fool. I interviewed him many times during my tenure at CNN and on the myriad big issues facing modern America, he often makes a lot of sense.
Yesterday, Trump announced he is finally running for President, after years of flirting with candidacy then pulling out at the last minute.
The reaction was almost comically predictable.
Much of America’s mainstream media rose up in indignant outrage to say what a clown he is, whilst simultaneously packing the hall where he made his announcement, and then running acres of coverage on TV and in newspapers analyzing it.
Secretly, they all love him – because he’s box office. He sells papers and gets ratings.
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Being around Donald Trump is like being with a rock star. I won the first season of Celebrity Apprentice and since then, we have become good friends and speak regularly. He’s smart, funny, loyal and entertaining
I like him. He’s smart, funny, loyal and thoroughly entertaining.
And he’s no political fool. I interviewed him many times during my tenure at CNN and on the myriad big issues facing modern America, he often makes a lot of sense.
Yesterday, Trump announced he is finally running for President, after years of flirting with candidacy then pulling out at the last minute.
The reaction was almost comically predictable.
Much of America’s mainstream media rose up in indignant outrage to say what a clown he is, whilst simultaneously packing the hall where he made his announcement, and then running acres of coverage on TV and in newspapers analyzing it.
Secretly, they all love him – because he’s box office. He sells papers and gets ratings.
+5
Being around Donald Trump is like being with a rock star. I won the first season of Celebrity Apprentice and since then, we have become good friends and speak regularly. He’s smart, funny, loyal and entertaining
Trump both craves and commands attention.
He knows how to work the media, and they either wittingly or unwittingly, get well and truly worked.
He’s been thoroughly dissected by reporters, professionally and personally, for decades – so won’t have any fears about the kind of forensic examination that instantly engulfs all new candidates.
He also has a big popular appeal away from the snobby halls of Washington and New York’s media elite.
Regular Americans love the guy. He’s what America used to be all about – incredibly well resourced, a fierce patriot, gutsy, and bursting with ‘can-do’ confidence.
During the time I’ve spent with Trump, I learned a few interesting things about him.
He doesn’t drink. In fact, he’s never had a drop of booze after watching his older brother Fred succumb to an alcohol addiction.
He’s never smoked either – Fred was a 3-packs-a-day man - nor taken illegal drugs.
Trump doesn’t even drink coffee because he feels no need for any artificial caffeine-fuelled high.
All this shows a man with an unusually high level of self-control.
He may sound a little bonkers occasionally, but everything he does is deliberate.
On a personal level, he’s a terrific father to his five children, as I’ve seen at first hand many times. He loves and respects them as much as they love and respect him.
His only vice, as he once told me with pride, is women.
But let’s face it, that didn’t harm Kennedy or Clinton.
And his third, current wife Melania is a delightful lady.
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Trump doesn't drink and his only vice - as he once admitted to Piers - is women. His third wife Melania, pictured Tuesday with their son Barron, 9, is a delightful beauty
His 45-minute speech yesterday was classic Trump.
Unleashing the simple, effective slogan “Make America Great Again’, he didn’t shy away from his wealth , as Mitt Romney did.
He embraced it enthusiastically and used it as a vote-winning weapon.
Only Trump could boast ‘I’m really rich!’ as a presidential candidate and get away with it.
But that boast carries with it a very serious significance.
Trump is a multi-billionaire, who won’t have to worry about campaign funding.
He also currently employs over 20,000 people, allowing him to declare with some justification: ‘I’ll be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.’
And when he gets mocked for suffering several corporate bankruptcies, he points to the way he recovered as evidence of an ability to force through difficult times and come out a winner again.
That’s hardly a negative, is it?
I don’t agree with everything Trump believes in.
He knows how to work the media, and they either wittingly or unwittingly, get well and truly worked.
He’s been thoroughly dissected by reporters, professionally and personally, for decades – so won’t have any fears about the kind of forensic examination that instantly engulfs all new candidates.
He also has a big popular appeal away from the snobby halls of Washington and New York’s media elite.
Regular Americans love the guy. He’s what America used to be all about – incredibly well resourced, a fierce patriot, gutsy, and bursting with ‘can-do’ confidence.
During the time I’ve spent with Trump, I learned a few interesting things about him.
He doesn’t drink. In fact, he’s never had a drop of booze after watching his older brother Fred succumb to an alcohol addiction.
He’s never smoked either – Fred was a 3-packs-a-day man - nor taken illegal drugs.
Trump doesn’t even drink coffee because he feels no need for any artificial caffeine-fuelled high.
All this shows a man with an unusually high level of self-control.
He may sound a little bonkers occasionally, but everything he does is deliberate.
On a personal level, he’s a terrific father to his five children, as I’ve seen at first hand many times. He loves and respects them as much as they love and respect him.
His only vice, as he once told me with pride, is women.
But let’s face it, that didn’t harm Kennedy or Clinton.
And his third, current wife Melania is a delightful lady.
+5
Trump doesn't drink and his only vice - as he once admitted to Piers - is women. His third wife Melania, pictured Tuesday with their son Barron, 9, is a delightful beauty
His 45-minute speech yesterday was classic Trump.
Unleashing the simple, effective slogan “Make America Great Again’, he didn’t shy away from his wealth , as Mitt Romney did.
He embraced it enthusiastically and used it as a vote-winning weapon.
Only Trump could boast ‘I’m really rich!’ as a presidential candidate and get away with it.
But that boast carries with it a very serious significance.
Trump is a multi-billionaire, who won’t have to worry about campaign funding.
He also currently employs over 20,000 people, allowing him to declare with some justification: ‘I’ll be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.’
And when he gets mocked for suffering several corporate bankruptcies, he points to the way he recovered as evidence of an ability to force through difficult times and come out a winner again.
That’s hardly a negative, is it?
I don’t agree with everything Trump believes in.
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+5
As Trump says, he's rich. Really rich. He wont' have to worry about campaign funding and employs 20,000 people. He even waved around his financial forms to prove it
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He's a fantastic father to his children, as well, and Americans love him. At left son Eric and his wife, youngest son Barron, Don Jr with his wife and their two eldest children, daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared and far right Donald's daughter Tiffany, by second wife Marla
He’s very pro-gun, for instance; he belittles any talk of science-based climate change; and he’s prone to occasional wild claims and exaggeration which merely serve to provide ammunition to his many critics.
But Trump’s right in his constant efforts to warn Americans about the dangers of China’s increasing economic might; he’s right to regularly grill OPEC over oil prices; and when he says he’d go big and hard against ISIS, I not only believe him but I reckon most Americans will applaud him for saying it.
Trump’s self-evidently a world class negotiator, something at which Barack Obama has proved to be very weak.
And he’s reputedly a man of his word when he does deals, a very important virtue when straddling the world diplomatic and military stage.
I have no idea if Donald Trump can actually win the Republican nomination, let alone become President.
But I do know this: he’s a fantastic candidate because he’ll electrify the tediously long U.S. election process, light up the Republican debates, and go after rivals in his own party and the Democrats with the same fearless aggression that he goes after those who cross him in business or on Twitter.
That will force them all to raise all their games, not to mention their hackles, and the quality of the race will be better for it.
Unlike most politicians, what you see with Trump is what you get.
He doesn’t pretend to be something he isn’t, or espouse things he doesn’t genuinely believe.
He’s the same in front of the cameras as he is away from them; a loud, chillingly confident, dynamic, compelling and polarizing character.
But under-estimate him at your peril.
I look at the current Republican field and think it’s rather dull.
I look at the wider election battle and see yet another Bush squaring up against another Clinton and stifle a yawn.
Whatever you think of Trump, he’s never dull.
[h=3][/h]
But Trump’s right in his constant efforts to warn Americans about the dangers of China’s increasing economic might; he’s right to regularly grill OPEC over oil prices; and when he says he’d go big and hard against ISIS, I not only believe him but I reckon most Americans will applaud him for saying it.
Trump’s self-evidently a world class negotiator, something at which Barack Obama has proved to be very weak.
And he’s reputedly a man of his word when he does deals, a very important virtue when straddling the world diplomatic and military stage.
I have no idea if Donald Trump can actually win the Republican nomination, let alone become President.
But I do know this: he’s a fantastic candidate because he’ll electrify the tediously long U.S. election process, light up the Republican debates, and go after rivals in his own party and the Democrats with the same fearless aggression that he goes after those who cross him in business or on Twitter.
That will force them all to raise all their games, not to mention their hackles, and the quality of the race will be better for it.
Unlike most politicians, what you see with Trump is what you get.
He doesn’t pretend to be something he isn’t, or espouse things he doesn’t genuinely believe.
He’s the same in front of the cameras as he is away from them; a loud, chillingly confident, dynamic, compelling and polarizing character.
But under-estimate him at your peril.
I look at the current Republican field and think it’s rather dull.
I look at the wider election battle and see yet another Bush squaring up against another Clinton and stifle a yawn.
Whatever you think of Trump, he’s never dull.
[h=3][/h]
Source URL: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/donald-trump-campaign-offered-actors-803161
[h=1]Donald Trump Campaign Offered Actors $50 to Cheer for Him at Presidential Announcement[/h] 2:53 PM PDT 6/17/2015 by Aaron Couch, Emmet McDermott
[1]
AP Images
[h=2]A casting call was sent out last week "looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement."[/h] Donald Trump's big presidential announcement [2] Tuesday was made a little bigger with help from paid actors — at $50 a pop.
New York-based Extra Mile Casting sent an email last Friday to its client list of background actors, seeking extras to beef up attendance at Trump's event.
"We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement," reads the June 12 email, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "We understand this is not a traditional 'background job,' but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought." (Read the full email at the bottom of the post.)
Questions as to whether to Trump campaign had hired extras were first raised Wednesday by anti-Trump activist [7] Angelo Carusone, who came across an Instagram photo showing a man he recognized as a background actor posing at the Trump event. Carusone screengrabbed the photo of the actor, Domenico Del Giacco, and published it in a blog post [8]. The photo shows Del Giacco with a woman, identified in the now-deleted Instagram post as actress Courtney Klotz. (Del Giacco has since deleted his entire Instagram account.)
When reached for comment about the Trump casting call, a person who answered the phone at Extra Mile said, "We don't know anything about that." When pressed about whether this response was a denial of the story, the person said she couldn't comment further and hung up. Additional calls to Extra Mile went unanswered.
Asked if Trump paid anyone to attend the event, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said "no," and that he had never heard of Extra Mile or Gotham GR.
"Mr. Trump draws record crowds at almost every venue at which he is a featured speaker," Lewandowski told The Hollywood Reporter. "The crowds are large, often record-setting and enthusiastic, often with standing ovations. Mr. Trump's message is, 'Make America great again.' "
Read More Jon Stewart Rejoices at Donald Trump Presidential Campaign: "There's a Crazy Person Running" [9]
Del Giacco and Klotz did not respond to a request for comment.
In politics, "astroturfing" is when people are hired to attend a rally or event in order to lend the appearance of grassroots support. They are typically contracted out to political consulting firms, much like Gotham GR. The practice is unsurprisingly considered bad form.
Here's the full email from Extra Mile, with contact information redacted.
Hi there—
We are working helping one of are [sic] associates out at Gotham GR - http://gothamgr.com/ [10] with a big event happening on TUESDAY 6/16/15.
This is an event in support of Donald Trump and an upcoming exciting announcement he will be making at this event.
This event is called “People for a Stronger America.” The entire group is a pro-small business group that is dedicated to encouraging Donald Trump and his latest ventures. This event will be televised.
We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement.
We understand this is not a traditional “background job,” but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought.
This event is happening LIVE and will be from 8:45AM-11:30AM. LESS THAN 3 HOURS
This will take place inside / interior.
The rate for this is: $50 CASH at the end of the event.
We would love to book you if you are interested and still available.
Please let us know and we will get back to you with confirmation.
[h=1]Donald Trump Campaign Offered Actors $50 to Cheer for Him at Presidential Announcement[/h] 2:53 PM PDT 6/17/2015 by Aaron Couch, Emmet McDermott
- 7K
- 810
- 52
[1]
AP Images
[h=2]A casting call was sent out last week "looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement."[/h] Donald Trump's big presidential announcement [2] Tuesday was made a little bigger with help from paid actors — at $50 a pop.
New York-based Extra Mile Casting sent an email last Friday to its client list of background actors, seeking extras to beef up attendance at Trump's event.
"We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement," reads the June 12 email, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "We understand this is not a traditional 'background job,' but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought." (Read the full email at the bottom of the post.)
.@realDonaldTrump [3] staffer not too pumped i took pic of "homemade" signs (passed out to people before event) in trash pic.twitter.com/zLL2ETBI79 [4]
— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) June 16, 2015 [5]
The pay was listed as $50 for less than three hours of work. According to the email, Extra Mile was reaching out to potential extras in partnership with Gotham Government Relations and Communications, a New York-Based political consulting group that has worked with Trump [6] in the past. Gotham GR had no comment.— Megan Specia (@meganspecia) June 16, 2015 [5]
Questions as to whether to Trump campaign had hired extras were first raised Wednesday by anti-Trump activist [7] Angelo Carusone, who came across an Instagram photo showing a man he recognized as a background actor posing at the Trump event. Carusone screengrabbed the photo of the actor, Domenico Del Giacco, and published it in a blog post [8]. The photo shows Del Giacco with a woman, identified in the now-deleted Instagram post as actress Courtney Klotz. (Del Giacco has since deleted his entire Instagram account.)
When reached for comment about the Trump casting call, a person who answered the phone at Extra Mile said, "We don't know anything about that." When pressed about whether this response was a denial of the story, the person said she couldn't comment further and hung up. Additional calls to Extra Mile went unanswered.
Asked if Trump paid anyone to attend the event, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said "no," and that he had never heard of Extra Mile or Gotham GR.
"Mr. Trump draws record crowds at almost every venue at which he is a featured speaker," Lewandowski told The Hollywood Reporter. "The crowds are large, often record-setting and enthusiastic, often with standing ovations. Mr. Trump's message is, 'Make America great again.' "
Read More Jon Stewart Rejoices at Donald Trump Presidential Campaign: "There's a Crazy Person Running" [9]
Del Giacco and Klotz did not respond to a request for comment.
In politics, "astroturfing" is when people are hired to attend a rally or event in order to lend the appearance of grassroots support. They are typically contracted out to political consulting firms, much like Gotham GR. The practice is unsurprisingly considered bad form.
Here's the full email from Extra Mile, with contact information redacted.
Hi there—
We are working helping one of are [sic] associates out at Gotham GR - http://gothamgr.com/ [10] with a big event happening on TUESDAY 6/16/15.
This is an event in support of Donald Trump and an upcoming exciting announcement he will be making at this event.
This event is called “People for a Stronger America.” The entire group is a pro-small business group that is dedicated to encouraging Donald Trump and his latest ventures. This event will be televised.
We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement.
We understand this is not a traditional “background job,” but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought.
This event is happening LIVE and will be from 8:45AM-11:30AM. LESS THAN 3 HOURS
This will take place inside / interior.
The rate for this is: $50 CASH at the end of the event.
We would love to book you if you are interested and still available.
Please let us know and we will get back to you with confirmation.
Superbeets I'm with you 100% on this one, for a change. Trump exaggerates more than a little but he'll
be more uniform & consistent on the issues when it really matters. Right now he just wants to stir things up,
the more the mainstream media puts him down the better it will be for his rise in the polls.
be more uniform & consistent on the issues when it really matters. Right now he just wants to stir things up,
the more the mainstream media puts him down the better it will be for his rise in the polls.
But try as he might, he'll never be nearly the Clown, nor nearly as entertaining as The Donald.
