The Spectator

Donald Trump’s interview with Piers Morgan: full transcript

PM: Mr President, how are you?

DT: I’m good thank you, Piers.

PM: It’s been a while!

DT: It has, since you became my Champion on the Apprentice.

PM: Well that was 10 years ago.

DT: Can you believe it? It’s a long time but I appreciate all the nice things you’ve said, and every once in a while a hit, but that’s OK.

PM: I always say that you don’t mind criticism if it’s not hysterical.

DT: That’s true.

PM: You don’t mind listening to criticism, do you?

DT: That’s true. No I don’t, if it’s real. If it’s fake, I don’t like it. I mean when they give you false stories, and there’s so much of it in the media, but you’ve always been very fair. And you really are a talented guy. Look, you were on the Apprentice, and I wouldn’t say you were the most popular person in the sense of the other people liking you, but you were the smartest person and that had something to do with your victory.

PM: I actually found the quote that you said to me. This is exactly at the moment you made me your Apprentice.

DT: Go ahead.

PM: I don’t know if you can remember what you said, but you said this. You said ‘Piers, you’re a vicious guy. I’ve seen it. You can try and dispute it. You’re tough, you’re smart, you’re probably brilliant… You’re certainly not diplomatic, but you did an amazing job, and you beat the hell out of everybody, and you won by far more than anybody’.

DT: That’s true.

PM: Watching your campaign, it looked like you’d stolen my playbook Mr President.

DT: Well, it’s been an interesting campaign, and you know, often times they say that Hillary was a terrible candidate. They never said I was a great candidate, but we won. It was a convincing win.

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