The Unexpected Way Bill Clinton Played A Role In Trump's Presidency

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Former President Bill Clinton may or may not be to blame for the fact that the United States is currently weathering President Donald Trump's second term in office. While Clinton joined the Trump diss train at the 2024 Democratic National Convention with an arrow-piercing dig at his vanity, he wasn't always as critical of the controversial politician. In fact, word has it that he was actually one of the people who initially put the idea to run for office in Trump's head. According to 2015 reporting by the Washington Post, Clinton made a fateful call to the former real estate tycoon just as he was readying to make a decision about whether or not to make a bid for the White House in 2016. An associate of Clinton's, alongside several Trump allies, dished that the former president actually encouraged the former "Apprentice" host to broaden his political influence and even suggested that he should continue his efforts working within the Republican Party. 

Clinton might not have outright suggested Trump run for president, but given his considerable ego, it would not be surprising if he took Clinton's phone call to mean exactly that. Unsurprisingly, the divisive leader denied ever talking politics with Clinton before announcing his decision to run for president. "My mind was already totally made up. I was already running, essentially," Trump clarified to CNN in August 2015, in response to the reports, adding that Clinton was, in fact, "upset" when he realized his intentions stretched far beyond simply wielding power over the GOP from the outside.

Surprisingly, Bill Clinton had a harder time with Donald Trump's 2016 election victory than his wife did, and that might be, in part, because he used to be friendly with the real estate mogul before he ventured into politics. In fact, Bill offered Donald a rare compliment during a 2024 Democratic campaign event. "For years, I had a very good relationship with President Trump," he told the crowd (via YouTube). "He's really good at some things." The former president confirmed that golfing was on that list, but not politics, warning that Donald believes in "total domination."

During the 2016 elections, an old photograph from Donald and Melania Trump's wedding day made the rounds. In it, the Clintons were seen grinning alongside the happy couple — proof that things had not always been as contentious between them. However, Gwenda Blair, who authored "The Trumps: Three Generations Of Builders And A Presidential Candidate," argued in an interview with NPR that it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the Trumps and Clintons were friendly. 

As she pointed out, "He surrounds himself with people he perceives as winners — celebrities, sports stars, actors, entertainers. He wants to be, you know, literally in the picture with them." There's also the fact that both Donald and Bill have spotty records when it comes to women. Trump has a long list of rumored mistresses, while Bill's legacy was forever tainted by the affair he had with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Both men have also been accused of sexual misconduct.