Thirty years ago, some filmmakers set out to make a documentary about a braggadocious businessman named Donald Trump. The self-proclaimed “billionaire” had spent a lifetime creating and cultivating an image of himself that allowed him to convince other people that he was a success so that they would give him money.
The filmmakers captured a lot of astonishing material on tape. However, because Trump threatened to sue them, which still remains one of his go-to moves, their documentary never saw the light of day.
However, on the eve of the 2016 GOP primary, WhoWhatWhy published it in 12 parts.
Why are we telling you this now? For one, every American should watch this remarkable footage.
More importantly, though, now that Trump has been indicted a fourth time this year alone for a variety of alleged crimes, the ending of the documentary is particularly prescient.
Three decades ago, Graydon Carter, the editor of SPY Magazine, which had covered the New York businessman extensively, said the (now) twice-impeached former president was on a path to the “ultimate madness.”
Even back then, Carter predicted that Trump might end up “living alone in an apartment complex in Panama and growing his fingernails long and storing urine in mason jars. It’s that or taking over the world — one or the other.”
And that seems like the crossroads where the country finds itself now. Trump will either be held accountable for staging a coup, stealing classified documents, and obstructing justice, or he will become the GOP nominee next year and, win or lose, burn the country to the ground.
Editor’s Note: At the request of the filmmakers, the above posts were updated on August 23, 2023, with a new, full documentary link.
