Bernie's Time Machine: My Interviews with Donald Trump

I covered Trump, before he ran for president, for HBO's Real Sports.

“Trump International Golf Links”

A few weeks ago, I referenced my old interviews with Donald Trump, and learned from the comment section that a number of readers weren’t aware of them. So, I figured they would make for some good Bernie’s Time Machine destinations.

In the early 2000s, Mr. Trump chose a beautiful piece of land in Scotland to create what he promised would be “the world’s greatest golf course.” In 2011, as he prepared to open it, I spoke to him… and also a Scottish, working-class fellow who wasn’t exactly happy with the location of Trump’s project.

Things went downhill. More and more Scots soured on Trump as he tried to have locals forced off their land, and failed to deliver on promises related to jobs, investment, the environment, and the impact on the community.

I reconnected with the future president in 2013 to talk about the ongoing saga, and in 2016, as he was locking up the Republican presidential nomination, Real Sports ran another follow-up. The piece, which combined the earlier installments with updates to the story, can be watched below.

Contrary to what some may guess, Trump and I always hit it off.