BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Donny Deutsch says pal Donald Trump may have failed to think through his presidential bid, but he likely enjoys stirring up the race.
Deutsch, a former CNBC host who appeared with Trump on “The Apprentice,” was asked at a TV critics meeting Wednesday what he would say to the billionaire Republican candidate. Deutsch was promoting his new USA channel comedy.
“I would say, ‘Dude, do you really know what you’ve gotten yourself into?’ I don’t know that he’s really thought it through,” Deutsch said.
But Trump will be a factor in the race, said Deutsch, who described him as a friend.
“At the very least, he’s gonna be a kingmaker,” Deutsch said. If Trump runs in the general election as an independent candidate, he will hand the race to the Democrats, Deutsch suggested.
“He’s going to be a very big factor, and he loves it,” Deutsch said, adding, “I know Donald well enough to know he’s just having fun.”
Things could get more interesting if people “poke” at Trump, Deutsch said, citing Trump’s post-Fox News Channel debate clash with Fox moderator Megyn Kelly.
Deutsch is taking on the role of sitcom actor in USA’s “donny!,” which the channel describes as a “soft-scripted” comedy that satirizes modern life and the media. It debuts Nov. 10.
While other actors in the show follow the script, Deutsch has the freedom to improvise as he plays a fictional “idiotic version” of himself, a rich New Yorker who’s charming but arrogant.
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