Donald Trump is driven by revenge. Close Trump comrade Roger Stone told PBS in September 2016 that his entire motivation to run for office was to exact revenge for Obama roasting him at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner:
“I think that he is kind of motivated by it: ‘Maybe I’ll just run. Maybe I’ll show them all,’” Stone adds.
So how did Trump respond to CNN when they released the infamous Access Hollywood recording of Trump telling Billy Bush when you are rich and famous you can do whatever you want to women? Vile comments like walking up to a woman he’s never even met and “Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.” And “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” Thanks to this profile of Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN Worldwide, we now have more insight into the vengeful mind of Donald Trump:
For Zucker, the thick-skinned TV executive and newsman, it was just business. For Trump, the thin-skinned TV star and now approval-craving politician, it was tactical but also personal: He believed that he had gotten Zucker his job at CNN and that the network’s increasingly aggressive coverage of him was an act of betrayal.
Trump actually didn’t play a meaningful role in Zucker’s hiring. (“The president is certainly entitled to believe whatever he likes about our conversation,” Kent wrote me in an email, “however, it was not a factor in the decision to hire Jeff.”) But after the second presidential debate in October, when several CNN panelists criticized Trump for dismissing his comments about grabbing women by the genitals as “locker-room talk,” Zucker received an email from Trump, via his campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks: “Jeff — Too bad you (CNN) couldn’t be honest with how well I did in the debate. The dumbest thing I ever did was get you the job at CNN — you are the most disloyal person. Just remember, I always seem to find a way to get even. Best wishes, Donald J. Trump.”
Emphasis added. The “best wishes” is a nice touch. Go fuck yourself, Jeff Zucker! XOXOXO — Donald
At least now we know why Donald Trump and Sean Spicer have been trashing CNN from the day they took office. Not a good look for the president of the United States.