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In a 1989 interview with CNN’s late Larry King, Trump abruptly told him that he had “bad breath” and asked to move his chair away from him.
Donald Trump in an interview with CNN’s Larry King in 1999.
All eyes are on Donald Trump after he made a stunning political comeback by defeating Kamala Harris in a fiercely fought US presidential election, becoming the first Republican leader to win the popular vote in over 20 years and gaining on his 2016 wins.
Trump, a wealthy real estate mogul, has always been in the news for his no-nonsense style and harsh remarks. After his election victory, an old of a younger Trump being interviewed by CNN’s late host Larry King went viral on social media, where the president-elect straightaway put the host on the spot for his “bad breath”.
The exchange happened in 1989, when Trump had just purchased a wave of high-profile hotels and casinos, including the Taj Mahal casino in the Atlantic. The businessman sat down for an interview with King to talk about his real estate businesses, and was questioned on whether he was looking to expand his business.
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‘Your Breath Is Very Bad’: Trump
At one point, Trump abruptly asked King if he could move his chair because “your breath is very bad. It really is.” Without pausing, Trump said, “Has this ever been told to you before?”. King, who Trump later said was caught off-guard by the remark, said no and proceeded with the interview.
“So this is how you get the edge, you threw me right then, and no one has ever told me that,” said King later in the interview, as per a report in Mother Jones. Trump said, “Has nobody told you that? Sharon (King’s wife) hasn’t said it? You’re kidding.” When King refused, Trump said, “Okay. Your breath is great.”
In a 2010 interview on King’s show, Trump recalled the moment. “I took heat the next day,” he said, adding that King’s breath was not actually that bad and he just made the comment in response to an earlier question about Trump’s strategies for catching people off guard in his business dealings.
However, King said in a 1990 interview with Playboy that Trump’s remark did not faze him. “The first question I asked Trump was, ‘Is there a method to getting an edge in negotiations that you could relate to us? And he said, ‘Larry, you have bad breath,’” said the late host. “He made a very good point: Shock ’em. But it didn’t work.”
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)