Look inside The Mad World of Donald Trump

25 January 2016

 

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Broadcaster Selina Scott accuses billionaire TV star and presidential hopeful Donald Trump of being “extremely abusive” and of “stalking me mentally” in a Channel 4 documentary to be aired on Tuesday. In ‘The Mad World of Donald Trump’ reporter Matt Frei hits the Trump campaign trail speaking to the celebrity’s growing army of exuberant supporters, critics and those who have personally dealt with the man behind the brand, including former Scottish leader Alex Salmond. Salmond tells Frei how he now regrets supporting Trump’s plans to build a luxury golf resort in Scotland.

In the programme Selina Scott says Trump “declared all-out war” after she fronted an unflattering hour long profile of the tycoon in 1995, describing a number of letters he sent her as “extremely abusive”.

The documentary shows footage of Donald Trump with Selina Scott in New York in 1995. In it the Republican nominee says: “I love beautiful things. That’s why I like you so much… She is beautiful…even though she doesn’t believe it.” Asked why her profile upset him Scott said: “Basically … he’d lost control and basically because I think that because he realised he couldn’t charm me into portraying him the way he wanted to be portrayed. He called me a loser, he said that I was sleazy, that I had come on to him, asking for dates.”

Scott denied Trump’s suggestions she tried to date Trump as “in his dreams” and describes a number of letters she received from him: “I must have got about 12 or 13 of them in the first instance… And they were extremely abusive... I just thought ‘This is a bit pathetic, he’ll get over it,’ and then they kept on coming and coming and coming”.

Scott says the letters stopped when she fought back. “I said to him ‘If you don’t stop stalking me mentally I’m going to do you’.” In the past Trump has said Scott: “treated me unfairly” and was “…a terrible reporter who totally got it wrong”.

Currently leading the polls in the Republican nomination the film shows how Trump has been embroiled in a number of scandals after making disparaging comments about women. He has previously described one as a “fat pig” another as “extremely unattractive” and most recently caused outrage by accusing Fox News reporter, Megyn Kelly, of having "blood coming out of her wherever" after she challenged him about his remarks on women during a televised debate. Scott says: “It surprises me that any woman in America can vote for this guy. They must be out of their heads.”

To many in Britain, Donald Trump is known for his role on the American Apprentice but the documentary reveals how he has transcended celebrity and is now a serious contender for the Republican nomination. This is despite the controversial remarks about women, his plans to ban Muslims from entering America and to build a wall across the Mexican border.

Footage from one rally shows thousands of supporters packing out a stadium to hear him speak. They believe in his promise to “Make America Great Again”. Reporter, Matt Frei says: “What’s amazing is that they are true believers…they genuinely believe that Donald Trump is the guy who is going to save their country and I have to say the last time I saw crowds as enthusiastic as this… was for Barack Obama in 2008.”

Former Scottish leader Alex Salmond, who courted Trump back in 2007, tells Frei how he now regrets supporting the businessman. Salmond backed Trump’s controversial plans to build a golf resort in Aberdeenshire, despite it being rejected by the local authority and amid serious concerns from nearby residents and environmental groups. Salmond says: “Well the proposal was… for a substantial billion dollar investment to diversify the economy of the north east of Scotland, which I thought was really important.” The investment on this scale never materialised.

Trump’s relationship with the Scottish government soured with him eventually labelling Salmond as an “irrelevant–has been”. Salmond tells Frei: “This is somebody who through his life people have not said ‘no’ to…we fell out because I said ‘no’ to him... ‘the Donald’ thought that compulsory purchase …would be a good thing .... I had to explain to him that in Scotland we don’t have compulsory purchase of other people’s property to help a commercial development.”

Pressed about whether he was suckered by the entrepreneur, Salmond says: “Well, if I’d known in 2007 what I know now …I wouldn’t have been supporting the development... you learn from experience.”

“The Mad World of Donald Trump” broadcasts on Channel 4, 21:00, Tuesday 26th January