The 'sinister plot' to derail Donald Trump's presidential ambitions
| Washington
Donald Trump on Monday made his first appearance as a regular on the 鈥�Fox and Friends鈥� cable news show and immediately said something really big 鈥� he鈥檚 worried about a 鈥渟inister plot鈥� to derail his possible presidential campaign.
What is this nefarious scheme? It鈥檚 Oprah Winfrey鈥檚 professed desire to do a makeover of Mr. Trump鈥檚 physical appearance on one of her final talk shows before she goes off the air.
鈥淪he does want to give me a makeover, I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 exclusively hair, maybe it鈥檚 other things too,鈥� said the Donald by phone to the Fox News show.
Where does the conspiracy enter in here, you ask? Well, think about it 鈥� Oprah鈥檚 a Democrat! Those people will stop at nothing.
鈥淚鈥檓 worried about a sinister plot,鈥� Trump continued 鈥淭he plot is that Oprah supported Obama ... maybe she wants to give me a makeover so that I would not have even a minor chance of beating Obama.鈥�
He was kidding, of course. If you鈥檙e Donald Trump, you have to have a thick skin about hair, and he was bantering things up pretty well there.
鈥淚鈥檝e had this hairstyle for a long time. I don鈥檛 know what I would look like with a crew cut,鈥� he said.
If one appearance is any guide, it looks to us like this whole 鈥淔ox and Friends鈥� gig will work out great for Trump. It was a phone-in, so he didn鈥檛 have to bother to limo over to a studio. He didn鈥檛 even have to get out of his PJs, as far as the audience could tell. Plus, he got to work in a nice long plug for his 鈥�Celebrity Apprentice鈥� show, which airs on Sundays.
Is it a coincidence that he鈥檚 now a contributor to a news show on the morning after his reality show? Don鈥檛 be cynical 鈥� we鈥檙e sure it has nothing to do with that.
In other remarks, Trump denied that GOP operative Roger Stone is working for him, and noted that his appearances on the 鈥�O鈥橰eilly Factor鈥� last week were 鈥減robably the biggest shows [Bill O鈥橰eilly] has done ... three fairly full nights of me.鈥�
Perhaps you are wondering whether the Federal Election Commission will look askance at Fox providing Trump a regularly scheduled forum. Yes, Fox News has kicked other possible GOP presidential contenders off the air. (We鈥檙e talking about you, Newt Gingrich.) They don鈥檛 want to violate federal campaign laws.
So how can Trump still appear? Because he is not getting paid, that鈥檚 how. Technically he is not a contributor 鈥� he鈥檚 a news source.
Of course, if you鈥檙e a billionaire, you can afford to work for free.
