Remember the end of 2005, when the New York Republican party leaked rumors that Donald Trump would run for governor as their candidates?
Yeah. That, uh, backfired.
DONALD TRUMP, a billionaire Republican who flirted last month with running for governor, has decided to endorse Democratic Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for the state's highest office.
The megabuilder star of "The Apprentice," who was aggressively courted as a possible Republican
gubernatorial candidate by state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R- Rensselaer), told The Post, "I will be endorsing Eliot Spitzer for governor.
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Trump also swats aside the GOP's pathetic "Spitzer's threats" scandal (which still leads
their homepage, two months later) and promises to raise money for Spitzer.
Trump, in an extended interview in which he repeatedly described Spitzer as the all-but-certain winner of the November election, strongly defended the Democratic front-runner against charges that his crusade against corrupt business practices, especially on Wall Street, means he'd be hostile to business as New York's governor.
"I think he'll be great for the business community," Trump insisted.
"I think when he's governor, he'll be courting the business community, and earning its respect."
Trump also defended Spitzer against charges leveled by Lower Manhattan Development Corp. Chairman John Whitehead and others that the attorney general has used his office to threaten critics and those with whom he disagrees.
"I think that's absolutely foolish," said Trump.
"If that's the case then I'd be accused of threats 19 times a day. Because you raise your voice to somebody, all of a sudden you're this horribly threatening person?
"You can make that case with everybody in a position of power. I know Eliot very well. He's a strong guy."
Trump said he'll hold a major fund-raising event for Spitzer in the next few weeks.
For all the attention being given Ken Mehlman's claim that Hillary Clinton is extreme and "angry," you'd think people would notice the GOP in Clinton's state is melting down, and might not even get within 30 points of her on election day.
As to Spitzer - if William Weld is the GOP candidate, a 70-30 Dem victory seems quite possible, the way things are going. I'm wondering how long even the NY Post will keep attacking Spitzer, since he's going to be running the state in 11 months.