Resurfaced video footage shows Donald Trump mocking Chris Wallace at the 1988 Republican Convention after Wallace, then a reporter with NBC, got some facts wrong about Trump’s political aspirations and asked loaded questions about the real estate mogul’s fame and wealth.
Wallace, 72, received substantial bipartisan criticism for his performance as moderator during Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The Fox News anchor repeatedly interrupted Trump, demanded that the President disavow “militias” related to “Kenosha,” and seemed to have a weak grasp on the substance of critical race theory.
At one point, Wallace interrupted Trump to ask, “What is so radical about racial sensitivity training, sir?” in relation to anti-white federal training programs abolished by the President earlier this month.
Found footage from the 1988 RNC appears to confirm that Wallace’s combative questioning style and antagonistic attitude towards Trump goes back some thirty-two years, at least.
“You have flirted with the idea of politics and now you’re here at your first national convention, does that get you interested in possibly taking the plunge?” Wallace asked Trump.
“Now you have to tell me something, who told you I flirted, I didn’t know that I flirted with -” Trump retorted before being interrupted by Wallace.
Chris Wallace has always been a jokepic.twitter.com/dT1ouUrWnl
— Woj Pawelczyk (@Woj_Pawelczyk) September 30, 2020
Wallace went on to tell Trump that “some people” considered the real estate mogul to be a “conspicuous example” of “greed and consumption,” and asked whether Trump had “no apologies” for the “hundred room mansion in Palm Beach, or the thirty million dollar yacht.”
Trump shot back by saying that he employed tens thousands of people, and noted “I can’t make any excuses, I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to do.”
When Wallace ended the interview and told Trump “thank very much for coming tonight,” the eventual 45th President of the United States clasped his hands behind his back and said curtly, “You have a good time.”
