As the election draws near, more things keep surfacing from Donald Trump’s past, some of which are surprising and awful, and some of which are deeply unsurprising yet still awful. CNN has now brought to light a 2008 interview with Howard Stern in which Trump discusses his attempt to get O.J. Simpson on The Celebrity Apprentice. “I do have to tell you about O.J. and The Apprentice … NBC went totally crazy when I wanted to put O.J. on The Apprentice,†he said. Asked why he would want Simpson on the show, given that Trump believes Simpson is guilty of murdering his wife, Trump explained:
Well you know, in your business, there’s a thing called ratings. And, you know you can come up with a cure for cancer — I found out a lot about your business — because, hey, I’m the biggest star. I’m now the biggest star… So I know that if you come up with a cure for cancer, and if you put it on, and if it doesn’t get ratings, they will not broadcast it … So, you come with a cure for a disease, no good. Now, I know this if I put O.J. on huge ratings. Oh, forget it, 35 million people.
Listen to the interview below.