When Donald Trump was running for president, he allegedly wrote to the head of CNN, Jeff Zucker, about the possibility of revenge after facing some difficult questions in a debate hosted by the network.
When Donald Trump was running for president, he allegedly wrote to the head of CNN, Jeff Zucker, about the possibility of revenge after facing some difficult questions in a debate hosted by the network.
The New York Times recently revealed the email exchange as part of a long profile about the two men. According to the media outlet, the message, sent to Zucker via Hope Hicks, a Trump spokesperson, read, “Jeff — Too bad you (CNN) couldn’t be honest with how well I did in the debate. The dumbest thing I ever did was get you the job at CNN — you are the most disloyal person. Just remember, I always seem to find a way to get even. Best wishes, Donald J. Trump.”
The then-candidate had reportedly been unhappy about the level of pushback he had gotten from CNN debate moderators about sexually inappropriate comments he had made about women.
CNN, for its part, denied to the Times that Trump got Zucker his job in 2012, as the businessman claimed.
Mother Jones notes that Trump has long expressed his belief in getting revenge; in 2012, he reportedly told a crowd, in part, “One of the things you should do in terms of success: If somebody hits you, you've got to hit 'em back five times harder than they ever thought possible. You've got to get even…you have to leave a telltale sign that they just can't take advantage of you.”
The following year, he tweeted a quote, “Always get even. When you are in business, you need to get even with people who screw you.”
