Michael Cohen apparently wanted Trump's 2015 campaign launch to feature elephants and women in bikinis

published 17 June 2019

It turns out President Trump's wild 2015 campaign launch was actually the tame version.

The Washington Post is out with a new look back at the start of Trump's presidential campaign, which began with that unforgettable ride down a golden escalator in Trump Tower. But this whole event was nearly even more over-the-top, as the report says that some Trump associates, including his lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, "pushed for a circuslike spectacle, complete with real elephants and women in bikinis."

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Another scrapped idea was apparently Trump descending to his speech in an elevator rather than an escalator, as evidently, virtually everyone around Trump at the time thought the escalator ride was a really bad idea; having him go down an elevator was offered as a compromise. But the Post reports that Trump was totally unwilling to budge on that detail, reportedly saying, "No, I'm going down the escalator." And that he did.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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