The Trump presidency might have caught a majority of Americans, pollsters, and pundits off guard, but at least one political insider saw it coming way back in 1987: Richard Nixon.
Well not Nixon exactly, but his wife Pat. Let us explain.
Thirty years ago, Pat Nixon caught Donald Trump on Phil Donahue’s TV show — because of course she did — and she was very impressed with what she saw. So impressed that her husband, the former president, went out of his way to write the young tycoon a note.
In typical Nixon fashion, he begins by saying that he didn’t actually see anything.
“I did not see the program,” wrote Nixon. “But Mrs. Nixon told me you were great.”
Then a bit of friendly encouragement:
As you can imagine, she is an expert on politics and she predicts that whenever you decide to run for office, you will be a winner!
In a Trumpian flourish, Nixon underlines “great” with a pen — though come to think of it, Trump might have done that one himself.
At least now we can stop blaming Obama and his White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech for spurring on Trump to run.