Another interview of Trump, this one, astonishingly by centerpiece of the liberal media Dan Rather for 60 Minutes, from a 1999 bid by Trump for the Reform Party nomination (the Reform Party was the dying remnants of Ross Perot's third party from the 1992 and 1996 elections, that Pat Buchanan got the nomination for in 2000, Buchanan's last presidential run, in a time I didn't support him). Melania is also in the segment, as his girlfriend, not yet Trump's wife until 2005.
My impression is, in 1999 Trump was testing the water to get a better understanding of how to run a successful presidential campaign, what his negatives and vulnerabilities would be, and how to overcome them. In 2015-2016, Trump entered prepared, with a determination to win. I've met two real estate agents who know Trump, one of whom didn't like him but still admired his ability, and they said he would never have entered and campaigned in 2015 if he wasn't fully prepared and confident he could win.
Dirty Dan was throwing Trump softballs back then because he thought Trump might get a third-party nomination and derail the eventual Republican nominee
