Man who asked Donald Trump why he wanted to be president was left stunned by his answer
An author who has wrote numerous books on Donald Trump was left stunned after asking the now-president why he wanted to become POTUS in 2016.
Trump sent shockwaves across the world some ten years ago as he pulled perhaps one of the biggest political upset of all time by claiming the White House to become the 45th POTUS.
While Trump missed out to Joe Biden in 2020, he won the 2024 presidential election and returned to the Oval Office in early 2025.
Michael Wolff interviewed Trump in Beverly Hills back in 2016 prior to the now-president being elected for the first time.
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Speaking on the Daily Beast's Inside Trump’s Head podcast recently, Wolf described the scene as 'strange' as he sat eating ice cream with Trump, which the Republican had 'threw' him despite the author not fancying the sweet tipple.
Once the ice cream was consumed, Wolff asked Trump a very simple question: Why did he want to be president?
The answer simply stunned the author.
Wolff recalled on the podcast: "In the Beverly Hills house, I finally said to him, I said, 'Okay, just tell me, really, why are you doing this? Why are you running for president?' And that's a sort of a trick question for everyone running for president. And no one really has a clear answer. But Trump had a clear answer, which pretty much explains everything to come.
"He said – and there was no hesitation here – he said, 'To be the most famous man in the world.'"
Wolff claims Trump was 'more astounded than anyone' when he was elected to become the US president.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Wolff claimed Trump might not be fully aware there are other people in his administration that have 'significant roles' and 'influence'.
"He just ignores that and has made this, effectively, a government of one," Wolff added.
"He has no advisors who he listens to. He has no real agenda that he's pursuing. It's about what he wakes up in the morning thinking. He lives in the moment."
Trump is currently touring the country in an attempt to rally up support ahead of the midterm elections next week.
The polls suggest the Democrats will win control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, though it should be worth noting such data are predictions at this stage.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones