Donald Trump Has No Friends, But When He Did, They Were All Rappers

A New York Times article just came out with some unsurprising news that nobody wants to hang out with Donald Trump. You might be wondering, did anybody ever want to hang out with Donald Trump? Well, as it turns out, a lot of rappers did. Including Method Man and P. Diddy.

In an article written by Nancy Jo Sales for Vibe Magazine in 1999, the legendary journalist attends Puff Daddy’s birthday party, where Donald Trump was among friends, specifically Puff Daddy (“I think Puff Daddy is a great guy,” Trump said), Method Man (who gave Trump an album shout-out), Mase, and Jay Z.

“I like Trump’s style,” Method Man said. “It’s like, I’m rich, fuck y’all. I build buildings and put my name on them, fuck y’all.”




Trump returned the sentiment.

“I think that these hip hop guys are smart, and they’re fun, and I don’t give a shit, because if I didn’t like them I wouldn’t bother,” he said. “Because I don’t need anybody, and I don’t need anything.”

But why would so many major players in the hip hop world be down for Trump?

“Trump is a respected guy in hip hop because he’s not a corporate guy,” said Nelson George, author of Hip Hop America. “He’s a self-made entrepreneur, and that’s key to the hip hop mentality. They respect him for being a ‘fuck you’ hero.”

And Trump had some oddly progressive insight for someone whose incendiary comments on race have defined so much of his reputation, 15 years later.

“I think that these guys have done more for race relations, and more for respect among everyone, than anything else,” he said. “Because these guys really are respected. I can tell you—the most important white people have total respect for these guys.”

Either way, Trump’s campaign isn’t doing him any favors on the friendship front.

In December, long-time friend Russell Simmons posted an open letter online called, “To My Old Friend Donald Trump,” denouncing him for promoting a campaign that Simmons said is just “fueling fires of hate.”

Mike Tyson and former N.B.A. player Dennis Rodman are among Trump’s some of African-American friends in the sports and entertainment industry who’ve stuck by him. 

But why would someone go out of their way to alienate friends and align himself with racist movements he might not even truly believe in? Abe Wallach, the ex-head of acquisitions for the Trump Organization weighed in:

“Deep down, he’s a very nice guy,” Mr. Wallach said, “but he can’t let go and just be nice because he fears that people will take advantage of him. Donald is actually the most insecure man I’ve ever met. He has this constant need to fill a void inside. He used to do it with deals and sex. Now he does it with publicity.”


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