Tina Brown

In those days, it was answer phones, you know, and Mark kind of sat there one day and there was this like 10 minute,

profane like rant you know on his machine and when he published his book Mark sent it to him and Trump sent it back saying Mark you're you know you're a loser it's like your book's no good you're a loser which he's framed in his office and

But he was very angry every time he was criticized.

There was no making up.

You know, there was no like, oh, time's bygone, et cetera.

No, he was angry.

You know, he always talked about wanting to run for office.

And actually, in our Vanity Fair piece, all those years ago in the 90s, the first Marie Brenner piece, she wrote about how he had Hitler's speeches on his desk.

Mein Kampf.

That piece, that item made a great deal of news at the time.

He denied it, but it was true.

And it still gets quoted.

So he was obviously beginning to be really interested.

No.

In fact, when I went to Talk magazine, which was a thing I did after doing The Daily Beast, we actually did a kind of spoof shoot with Melania Trump sort of half naked on a mocked up Oval Office with an Oval Office seal and her in a bikini.

And I think he was in the picture too, Trump, sort of sitting at a desk, sort of pretending to be the president.

So no, I mean, it was all a huge joke.

But I was also at that famous dinner, White House dinner, where Obama roasted him.

And I mean, I know it's now become folklore, but it was true.

I was sitting right behind Trump.