Resurfaced Clip Of Donald Trump Dissing Larry King Proves He'll Do Anything To Get Ahead

Donald Trump's ego knows no bounds, but his tactlessness comes in a close second, as an old interview shows. Back in 1989, when Trump was merely a real estate giant, he sat for an interview with his good friend Larry King. A short clip from that encounter, seen here, shows Trump and King at opposite ends of his familiar interview table. The mogul pushes himself back slightly, saying, "Do you mind if I sit back a little bit?" King barely gets his "no" answer out before Trump continues, "Because your breath is very bad. It really is. Has this ever been told to you before?" 

During the 2024 election season, the clip resurfaced and made the rounds. Some commenters expressed shock that Trump would be so blunt, particularly during a televised Q&A with a friend. But others more familiar with the interview explained that this exchange was a small portion of a longer interview. As King explained to Playboy (via News18): "The first question I asked Trump was, 'Is there a method to getting an edge in negotiations that you could relate to us?' And he said, 'Larry, you have bad breath.' He made a very good point: Shock 'em. But it didn't work." The outlet also explained that Trump addressed the issue with King himself in a 2010 interview, saying, "I took heat the next day." Yet while Trump may have deep insecurities about his appearance which he tries to hide, criticism about his negotiating skills doesn't faze him. 

It's definitely on point for Trump to resort to cheap shocks to throw his opponents off balance. It's a strategy he's taken from the boardroom straight to the Oval Office. The president's tariff threats, blunt all-caps comments on Truth Social, and department-clearing firings are highly unusual for a commander-in-chief, but his style tells the world he's determined to stay on top. Even Trump's brutal nicknames for his political foes are designed both to get attention and to make his targets seem weaker. 

It was King who got the last laugh more than a decade later. The iconic talk-show host was one of the featured speakers on the 2011 "Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump." The billionaire had to sit back and smile as various outrageous zingers were lobbed his way. King didn't hold back. "Donald Trump is not only one of my oldest and dearest friends, he is an American success story. When he graduated college, he put his shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grindstone ... borrowed $6 million from his father, and started a career," he jibed (per Instagram). "Donald Trump, without a doubt, you're a New York landmark. Which means it will only be a matter of time before you bulldoze yourself and put up some gaudy, tacky monstrosity, and put your name on it."