Check Out This List of Donald Trump's Most Favorite Shows and Movies
Even when he was president, Donald Trump spent more time in front of the television
John Bolton, a former senior adviser to Donald Trump and national security advisor, hinted that Trump would spend more time in the Oval Office watching TV than really doing his job. Trump had previously insulted Bolton, calling him a "creepster" and a "lowlife" after the publication of Bolton's tell-all. When CBS' Margaret Brennan asked Bolton, "Does the president and his thinking get more shaped by television or government advisers?" As reported by People, he replied, "I think that if you could clock the amount of time he [Trump] spent actually in the Oval Office versus the amount of time he spends in the little dining room off the Oval Office with the cable news networks of one form or another on, it would be a very interesting statistic." Here is a list of movies and TV shows that the former president loves to watch.
1. BloodSport
In a 1997 profile of Trump published in The New Yorker, writer Mark Singer claims that the ex-president is completely engrossed in the film. And he watches it in this very peculiar manner. Trump has a strange fixation with the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic. Mike said, "It doesn’t surprise me that Trump has such love for an action movie, he certainly envisions himself as a decisive man of action. Just looking at the title, Bloodsport, that certainly makes sense as he doesn’t leave any insult against him unanswered. By his own admission, he’s a “counter-puncher” and he will fight back pretty viciously against anybody who says anything against him."
2. Citizen Kane
Orson Welles' iconic film Citizen Kane, often praised as the finest American film of all time features Charles Foster Kane, the character most often likened to Trump. Inspired by the life and work of William Randolph Hearst, the film follows Welles' character, a rich and egotistical businessman, as he tries to go into politics. As reported by Business Insider, Trump confessed, "You learn in 'Kane' maybe wealth isn't everything, because he had the wealth but he didn't have the happiness. In real life I believe that wealth does in fact isolate you from other people. It's a protective mechanism - you have your guard up much more so [than] if you didn't have wealth."
3. The Godfather
Trump has praised both the 1972 film and its sequel, The Godfather: Part II, calling them "classic." Among Trump's favorite films is the Oscar-winning drama centered on an Italian-American criminal family. In fact, once, a ridiculous accusation surfaced about the Trump administration: that in 2016, Trump Jr., the oldest son of the president, met with Russians supposedly connected to the Kremlin in order to get damaging information on the Clinton campaign. The hysteria around this claim has reached new heights. After Trump's son made headlines, the media began drawing parallels between him and another problematic heir to a famous family—Fredo Corleone—played superbly by John Cazale in the first two films of Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy.
4. Gone With The Wind
In a rally in Colorado Springs, Trump passionately opposed the Best Picture Oscar being given to the South Korean film Parasite directed by Bong Joon Ho. Trump demanded the return of the film, which had been severely panned due to its racist language, degrading portrayals of Black characters, and its idealization of slavery before the Civil War. As reported by HuffPost, he stated, "I’m looking for like … let’s get ‘Gone with the Wind,’ can we get ‘Gone with the Wind’ back, please? Sunset Boulevard.’ So many great movies,” he continued. “The winner from South Korea, I thought it was best foreign film. Best foreign movie. No … did this ever happen before?"
5. Saturday Night Live
Trump has remained mum on the subject of his favorite TV series, with the exception of his own reality shows. But he has said that Saturday Night Live (which he has also been on) on NBC is something he enjoys watching when he's not working. He told People, "My guilty pleasure TV show—'SNL,' starring me. They got great ratings. The best ratings in years. It was a terrific success. I enjoyed doing it. It was 50 percent more than Hillary [Clinton]'s show. That makes me feel good."
6. 60 Minutes
The former president has made guest appearances on 60 Minutes for over 30 years. He had a conversation with Scott Pelley in 2015 on the campaign's progress and his priorities. The whole Republican ticket agreed to an interview with Lesley Stahl in July when Trump selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. Donald Trump accompanied "60 Minutes'" Mike Wallace on a tour of New York City real estate holdings on November 17, 1985. At the tender age of 39, the real estate tycoon had already established himself as a notoriously ambitious and conceited businessman.
