'I was devastated': Trump reflects on becoming President
Donald Trump has admitted that he was "devastated" when he won the US presidency because he had such a great life before entering the White House.
With just over 100 days before the US election, Trump has given a glimpse of how much better things were for him before he became President, noting that the best day of his life was the one before he announced he was running for office.
Trump said that, before he became President, he "was in so many rap songs".Credit:Bloomberg
"I love doing it (being president) but there was this phoney deal - that I was devastated when I won because I couldn't have my life. I had a great life, I did," he said, in a candid interview with American sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports.
"The best day of my life in terms of business, and life, and everything, was the day before I announced I was running for president. Everything was good.
"The company was good, I had finished up a lot of jobs that were very successful. And then I said I want to do this. I’m really glad I did but I was treated very unfairly, with fake Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia, and Ukraine, Ukraine - all fake stuff. It’s a very vicious business."
The interview with Barstool’s president David Portnoy took place on the grounds of the White House and provides a fascinating insight into the President’s views of life before the Oval Office.
Before taking on the job, he claimed, "I was in so many rap songs" and was adored by many. Now, he said, there was "more fervour on one side" and "far more animosity on the other side".
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand on the Truman Balcony of the White House as they watch a fireworks display during a "Salute to America" event on July 4.Credit:AP
He recalled an incident earlier in his presidency, when he attended a function at the Robin Hood Foundation, a not-for-profit agency fighting poverty in New York. His wife, First Lady Melania Trump, noticed that people were booing him.
"She said: 'You know what, I’ve been with you for a long time, and I’ve never heard anyone boo you' - this was right after I started being the politician," he said.
"And it meant something because it was the first time in my life I was ever booed."
The interview came as Trump seeks to reassert himself and recalibrate his campaign in the run-up to the November 3 election.
Faced with a global pandemic and flagging economy, the President now trails Joe Biden nationally, with successive polls putting him behind in critical battleground states.
Much of his woes are due to his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted this week in the President tweeting a picture of himself in a mask, after months of refusing to wear one.
And on Thursday, in a significant backflip, the President was forced to cancel plans to hold the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, next month because of a surge of coronavirus cases.
Despite the challenges of his job, Trump said he remained focused on "the big picture", with law and order a key focus of his campaign.
He also talked up America as the "toughest" nation in the world, telling Barstool: "I’ve been very tough with Russia, I’ve been very tough with China…. The whole world has taken advantage of this country. But despite that I have a very good relationship with leaders."