Why Donald Trump Told This Famous Photographer, "I am the Storm," During a Photoshoot

Acclaimed photographer Platon recently spoke about his encounter with former President Donald Trump during a portrait photoshoot. The British photographer sat down with CNN's Christiane Amanpour to narrate his experience with the Republican leader during the pre-presidency shoot. Platon described the aura Trump carried, which he admitted was a bit intimidating.

"He calmly looked at me and he said, 'I am the storm'. Even then, I had those words ringing out in my brain through the election campaign, through his presidency, through his post-presidency. And now we're in another cycle again."

Amanpour began the interview by introducing Platon, "...He's photographed more than 40 world leaders, including three US presidents, but it was Trump who surprised him the most. This is a man who's been president, who wants to be president again, Donald Trump, who's under criminal trial as we speak."

She then quickly inquired about where Trump posed for the photoshoot, "What was that setup? What were you saying? He's at the back of the frame?" Platon answered, "This is, I've been told, one of his favorite rooms. It's the boardroom in Trump Tower where everyone would get fired in his TV show. This is where he exercised power as a rehearsal, I think, for the presidency."

As per Raw Story, the famed photographer recalled, "I remember saying to him, Donald, let's just be human. When was this? This was before he was president before even the election campaign started properly. And I said, let's be human together." "We’ve all followed your career, no one can doubt it’s an extraordinary career path you’ve had," Platon said he told Trump. "But there’s always something about you, there’s always an air of tension and controversy about things you say and do in public, and I’m sure it’s intentional on your part. But it feels to me as if you’re in the middle of an emotional storm. I can’t live with that anxiety all the time. As a fellow human being, I’d like to know how you weather the storm.”

In response, Platon claimed that Trump allegedly remarked that he was the storm which got him thinking that "...there's only one person who can navigate perfectly through the storm, and that's the creator of the storm." He added, "So these people are very powerful, formidable, and they're much smarter than we make them out to be. And they are not to be underestimated. And I think we always seem to do that. He's smart."

Palton's other famous political subjects include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and American presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

As per FStoppers, while explaining his method of shooting a portrait, Platon said, “A portrait to me is about closeness; it’s about truth...Sometimes, someone’s fame, power, and success become a prison, and the person knows better than anybody that they can’t live up to that ideal. My job is not to be disrespectful, but to be authentic; to say, ‘Who are you really?’”