Why did Bill Clinton encourage Trump to run?

[Skwmom]

Was it part of a "Bring Progressives to Heel" Strategy?

[beachbum bob]

1. probably a joke from some one who had any idea of what trump is

[emulatorloo]

2. AFAIK that story is kinda urban legendish.

AFAIK that story is sort of an urban legend/rumor. Do you have anything that's definitively proves it happened?

At any rate doesn't much matter either way. GOP voters gave Trump the nomination, not Bill Clinton

[hootinholler]

13. Oh, it matters. Plus it's no legend.

Bill is a brilliant strategist.

I think the WaPo reported it first.

[TwilightZone]

14. "The tone of the call was informal, and Clinton never urged Trump to run, the four people said."

Oops.

[hootinholler]

18. Oops? ROFL

Trump took the call from his office in Trump Tower in New York, according to the four allies, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly. The call came as Trump was making a final decision about whether to run, and he was candid about his political ambitions and his potential interest in seeking the White House during the talk, these allies said.

The 42nd president listened intently and then analyzed Trump’s prospects and his desire to rouse the GOP base, the Trump allies said.

The tone of the call was informal, and Clinton never urged Trump to run, the four people said. Rather, they said, Clinton sounded curious about Trump’s moves toward a presidential bid and told Trump that he was striking a chord with frustrated conservatives and was a rising force on the right.

One person with knowledge of Clinton’s end of the call said the former president was upbeat and encouraging during the conversation, which occurred as Trump was speaking out about GOP politics and his prescriptions for the nation.

No Bill never said Run Donny Boy, Run.

[msongs]

3. because trump meets the qualifications as stated in the US constitution, as does bernie sanders? nt

[AgingAmerican]

4. To preserve the corporate goose that lays the golden eggs

...should Hillary lose...

[Yurovsky]

5. He realized GOP voters were dumb enough to nominate him...

and that would be Hillary's path of least resistance to the WH.

Bill may be crooked as the day is long, but he's not stupid. He wanted back on AF1 and 8 more years of the rockstar treatment... and if any hapless young star struck interns lose their way around the West Wing, I'm sure Bill will come to their aid...

[Waiting For Everyman]

6. That's a very, very good question.

Considering that Trump's such an incompetent monster, why would his friends the Clintons encourage him to run and then criticize him so stridently? Seems odd, doesn't it? Also he can bring that up any time he wants and shoot a hole in their "he's so terrible" meme, which they seem to be depending on quite a bit.

And both of them, Trump and Clinton, have admitted it. (Although predictably, Bill is now trying to use weasel words about it "he doesn't remember what was said" etc.)

[doc03]

7. I am thinking Bill Clinton is a victim of dementia, I wish he would just shut

the fuck up.

[Buns_of_Fire]

19. Unfortunately, Hillary has already said that he'd be her point man on economic issues.

This does not fill me with infinite joy.

But, you vote for one, you get the other as an added benefit.

People's definition of "benefit" may vary, of course.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. Perhaps they are both Illuminati and they want to finish the Jade Helm Wal*Mart Tunnel Project.

[wyldwolf]

9. To annoy and/or anger 'progressives.'

[NorthCarolina]

11. We know, because progressives are "the real enemy" to the Clinton regime. -nt-

[trudyco]

10. Help Hillary get into the WH.

But I don't think they'd realize how good he'd be at it, nor that the emails would come back and bite her and the Clinton Foundation.

[randome]

12. Because no one believed Trump would be so mentally damaged as to actually run.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[TwilightZone]

15. He didn't.

"The tone of the call was informal, and Clinton never urged Trump to run, the four people said."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-clinton-called-donald-trump-ahead-of-republicans-2016-launch/2015/08/05/e2b30bb8-3ae3-11e5-b3ac-8a79bc44e5e2_story.html

[AzDar]

16. Kind of hard to attack Trumpster as unfit when your spouse urged him to run... The Clintons, man...

[Dems to Win]

17. Reality TV, directed by Bill Clinton. Bill and Donny working together to elect Hillary.

What we are seeing is Reality TV, directed by Bill Clinton, who talked with Donald Trump prior to Trump's entering the race and reportedly encouraged him to get into it. Bill and Donny are working together to elect Hillary.

If Hillary is nominated and we really do have a Trump-Clinton race, I'm going to try to develop new hobbies and give up on following presidential politics. I hate reality TV, and I'm convinced that's all a Clinton-Trump race will be -- a reality TV show that ends with Hillary in the White House.

The more outrageous Trump is, the more he pushes people, who 2 years ago would have said they would NEVER vote for Hillary, into voting for her in the fall. It's the only way she can plausibly win, so that's the theater show Bill and Donald are producing.

I'm also convinced that the powers that rig the voting machines will do so on Hillary's behalf. She's the Establishment choice, by far. She's the one who will keep the Military Industrial Complex and Wall Street rolling along as usual, lining the pockets of the rich and powerful. The outcome is not in doubt.

I'm so certain of my cynical views that if Hillary actually becomes the nominee, it won't be worth paying attention anymore.

[bunnies]

20. Im with you.

Couldnt have said it better myself.