The Wall Street Journal has released a deep dive into the archives of Trumped! — a daily syndicated radio show Donald Trump hosted from 2004 to 2008.
The show's 60-second commentary segments, also reported by BuzzFeed in March, covered a wide range of topics from politics to relationships, current events to business tips. Some of his opinions then seem to contrast with the Republican presidential candidate's positions now.
For example, in one 2008 episode, Trump criticized West Virginia for moving to allow hunting-education classes in schools, saying that "putting guns in the classroom seems like a really bad plan." This is in stark contrast to his more recent statements on the issue. At the National Rifle Association's 2016 convention, Trump said, "we're getting rid of gun-free zones, OK?" though he later said only staff should be carrying guns in schools.
While the broadcast's website is archived, most of the actual audio is not. The Wall Street Journal, however, was able to track down "a handful of audio recordings" from the program.
Here are seven interesting remarks from Trumped!, drawn from archives of transcripts published on www.trumponair.com and recordings published by the Journal:
1. In June 2008 on "one other really good reason" men should do chores
"There's one other really good reason, men, that you might want to drag out the vacuum cleaner. Psychologists have found that the payoff for doing more chores seems to be more sex. If the husband sitting on a couch while she's dusting and making dinner, that's not going to put her in the right mood. So guys, I suggest setting the table or doing the wash, maybe even start with the sheets in your bedroom. You know what, you'll be a lot happier and the sex with your wife will be a lot better."
2. In May 2008 on West Virginia "putting guns in schools"
"I'm a huge proponent of education. The more children learn in school, the better. But I think lawmakers in West Virginia may be taking things a little bit too far. The state is losing $2 million because of a drop in hunting and fishing permits, so they thought one way to stir up interest would be to allow children to receive gun training in school. Their theory is that if the kids play with guns and like them, they may grow up to be hunters and thereby put some money into the state's pockets. What I don't understand, however, is the idea of putting guns in schools in today's volatile world. We hear way too many stories about school violence, so the thought of voluntarily putting guns in the classrooms seems like a really bad plan. I realized that they'll teach gun safety and would probably use disabled weapons but I still think it's a dangerous risk that might not be worth the payoff."
3. In March 2008 on Clinton making "a good president or a vice president"
"Hillary Clinton said she'd consider naming Barack Obama when she gets the nomination, but she's nowhere near a shoo-in. For his part, Obama said he's just focused on winning the nomination, although at least one member of his team said Clinton would make a good vice president. Well I know her, and she'd make a good president or vice president. It's interesting to see what the candidates are doing."
4. "One-Night Stands" from April 10, 2006
"According to British research, women of all ages believe that sex outside of marriage or a committed relationship is just wrong. In the survey, 90 percent of the women thought casual sex was wrong and only 10 percent admitted to ever having a one-night stand. Well, I bet some of them were lying. If only 10 percent of them are having one-night stands, who are all the guys sleeping with? Anyway, the women in this survey were very judgmental of those who slept around, calling their behavior "deviant"' and "disgusting." The younger women were even harsher than the older women. Even if they had slept around in the past, they said it was wrong for other women to do so. This is kind of surprising to me. I thought today's women were independent and had a lot of sexual freedom. Well, I guess they fooled me."
The full transcript from April 10, 2006
5. "Sexiest Woman Alive" from April 7, 2006
"Now readers of FHM — a men's magazine — have crowned Scarlett Johansson the sexiest woman alive. The lovely 21-year-old actress — who I met recently on a Jay Leno show — posed semi-nude for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine not too long ago. Some of the others on the list ... Angelina Jolie is No. 2 (I don't get it), Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, Keira Knightley (she's unbelievable), Halle Berry, Jenny McCarthy, Maria Sharapova (truly unbelievable), Carmen Electra and and Teri Hatcher. Last year Scarlett was No. 9 on the list and Angelina was No. 1. I know almost all of the people on the list. I know who's really beautiful and who's not. Some of them belong and some don't, but I'm not going to get myself in trouble."
The full transcript from April 7, 2006
6. "Hurricane Relief Efforts" from Sept. 2, 2005
"As the news coming in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is worse and worse, it seems like there is very little we can do. The death toll keeps rising, hundreds of thousands of people had to leave their homes, millions are still without power ... and it could be weeks, even months, and possibly even years, before people can return to what's left of their homes. I know so many people who have opened their houses to friends who are without homes ... schools that have opened their doors to children without classrooms ... and individuals who are sending everything from canned goods and toothbrushes to those people who are living in temporary shelters."
The full transcript from Sept. 2, 2005
7. "Sex appeal in business" from May 13, 2005
"Oprah once asked me if women should use sex appeal to get ahead. I told here there's a professor at Yale, a friend of mine named Jeffrey [Sonnenfeld], who says the real workplace doesn't use sex appeal. Well, not that much anyway. I disagree with Jeffrey very strongly. The fact is there are certainly women who are able to use sex appeal to win. But because I'm such a diplomat, I want to say, 'Never use it.' However, life is loaded with sex appeal and sex and so is business."
The full transcript from May 13, 2005
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.