Long before his time in the White House, Donald Trump expressed his views on the individuals who pursue the presidency in the United States.
Trump was widely recognized as a businessman, a prominent figure in real estate, and the star of the US version of “The Apprentice.”
However, this all changed when he announced his candidacy for POTUS in 2015. But it wasn’t his first time contemplating the idea of leading one of the world’s most influential nations.
Decades earlier, in an interview from the early 1980s when he was just 34, Trump shared his perspective on the subject.
At that point, he had already established the Trump Organization and was concentrating on ventures involving hotels, casinos, and golf courses.
During the interview, when asked if he aspired to be the President of the United States, Trump replied, “I really don’t believe I would.”
Fast forward nearly forty years, and he has just engaged in a fierce battle to defeat Kamala Harris and secure the position as the 47th president.
At that time, Trump continued: “I would like to see somebody as the president who could do the job, and there are very capable people in this country […].
“The most capable people are not necessarily running for political office, and that is a very sad commentary.”
When asked specifically why ‘someone like [him]’ wouldn’t run for office, the 34-year-old Trump mentioned that while he wasn’t opposed to ‘dedicating [his] life’ to the country, he doubted that the most suitable candidates were the ones being elected.
“I would dedicate my life to this country, but I see it as being a mean life,” he explained.
“I also see it as somebody with strong views, and somebody with the kind of views that are maybe a little bit unpopular, which may be right, but may be unpopular – [they] wouldn’t necessarily have a chance of getting elected against somebody with no great brain but a big smile.
“That’s a sad commentary for the political process […] Abraham Lincoln would probably not be electable today.”
Today’s Trump has already outlined numerous plans for his return to office once he takes the oath of office, and while his views have stirred public debate, he garnered the majority of electoral votes when the polls closed on November 5.
His opponent, Kamala Harris, fell short of the 270 votes required but later assured her supporters that she would ‘keep fighting.’