Rachel Maddow thinks Donald Trump doesn't really want to be president

Donald Trump is like a daily professional birthday present, Rachel Maddow and Jimmy Fallon agreed on Thursday's Tonight Show. Trump dumps news soundbites like manna from Heaven and practically writes his own jokes. But "do you think he wants to be president for real?" Fallon asked the MSNBC host.

"I can't imagine," Maddow said. "I can't imagine that he wants to be president. Look at what happens to people who become president. Like, Barack Obama is 40 years older than when he got sworn in seven years ago." And George W. Bush, she added, "went from, like, a charismatic frat boy to, like, a retired university president who's fallen on hard times."

Trump, meanwhile, seems to just be taking a break from ostensibly running his business. "I don't think he usually has to work very hard, so I can't imagine that being president seems like fun," she said, though "maybe he could be elected and then he'd, like, outsource it to somebody." If you watch below, you'll also see why Maddow thinks Trump is actually kind of a political genius, and why it's still smart for him to run, even if he really doesn't want the job. Peter Weber

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

YouTube

Watch On

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.