You want to know Who Donald J. Trump is?
Watch this ……
Trump today?
Is Trump from ‘back in the day.’….
As with all things pertaining to Donald Trump, people will surely project their preconceived notions onto “The Trump Dynasty,” a three-part, six-hour A&E documentary presented under the Biography banner. This deep dive into the president’s life is nevertheless well worthwhile — especially through the first two parts, which offer a detailed guide of the people and events that shaped him.
Perhaps foremost, the documentary (really about 4 ½ hours sans commercials) features a wide array of Trump’s friends, critics and biographers, while drawing upon not only the rich video evidence that’s available but rare material like audiotaped interviews conducted with him. If there’s one primary takeaway it’s the manner in which Trump assiduously built his brand, which included aggressively cultivating the press that he now regularly derides.
The title notwithstanding, “Trump Dynasty” is perhaps too grandiose a title for a project that focuses pretty steadfastly on a single person. That said, the narrative does reach back to his grandfather, who came to the US in 1885, profitably running a restaurant/hotel that catered to miners during the Klondike Gold Rush, an enterprise whose services included prostitution.
The documentary covers Trump’s youth in some detail, including the lessons he learned from his father, Fred, a successful real-estate tycoon, and the federal lawsuit brought against them for alleged racial discrimination in housing in 1973.
Still, the more significant thread stems from Trump’s relationship with attorney Roy Cohn, the one-time right hand of Sen. Joe McCarthy, who became a sort of professional father figure to Trump. Cohn provided a guide for dealing with the rough and tumble of New York politics, and among other things, introduced Trump to Roger Stone, the political operative who urged Trump to run for president. (Stone, who was recently indicted in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, is among those interviewed.)
The small details, asides and video snippets are among the most interesting. Newspaper columnist Linda Stasi recalls that Trump would “call you up and plant stories” (there’s audio of him calling a reporter in the guise of PR rep “John Baron”). Editor Tina Brown notes that the press “loved him” because he was so accessible, adding wryly that Trump Tower — an edifice to his ambition — was “the Liberace of buildings.”
Donald Trump, Marla Maples with parents Fred and Mary Trump. (Photo by The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Trump’s personal life also receives its share of attention, with the random footage that includes his wedding to Marla Maples, with Howard Stern and O.J. Simpson conspicuous among the guests…..