Donald Trump…is human? At least he comes across that way in an old 2002 interview with filmmaker Errol Morris, who asks Trump to talk about his favorite movie, Citizen Kane, in a segment originally intended for that year's Academy Awards. But as if it wasn't enough of a surprise that Citizen Kane is the Donald's favorite film, Trump goes on to astutely read Orson Welles' masterpiece with the eye of a true cinephile — one who, perhaps, sees a bit of himself the in the rich and lonely protagonist.
"I think you learn in Kane that maybe wealth isn't everything," Trump reflects. "Because [Kane] had the wealth, but he didn't have happiness."
In the explanation of the famous dinner table scene, Trump gets uncharacteristically raw. "The table [keeps] getting larger and larger and larger," Trump says, "with [Kane] and his wife getting further and further apart as he got wealthier and wealthier…" Then Trump trails off.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Perhaps," he adds after a pause, "I can understand that."
But don't let Trump's moments of introspection fool you — he's got a classic Trumpian kicker at the end. Watch the full video, below. Jeva Lange
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardonFeature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in ChicagoFeature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump: Taking over the private sector?Feature Donald Trump has secured a 10% stake in Intel using funds from the Biden-era CHIPS Act
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
