(Editor's Note: The following opinion column does not constitute an endorsement of any political party, or candidate, on the part of Newsmax.)
In the closing weeks of the presidential election, out of sight from the mainstream media that are bent on demonizing his every move, Donald Trump is getting humanized in a new and gentler way.
Trump the cheerleader, caring father, teetotaler, stand-up comic: these unseen sides of the former president are showing up in onstage Q-and-A's and on podcasts. Some videos of these candid moments draw millions of views on X, letting voters sidestep the media's one-sided view of him.
And on Friday, the former president is to join the most popular podcast of all: "The Joe Rogan Experience," with 11 million listeners per episode three or four times a week and 90 million downloads per month. It may break the internet.
The witty side of Donald Trump showed up at the Al Smith Catholic charity dinner in New York last week, as he funnily and fearlessly lampooned Democrats who sat alongside him.
Sample bit: He told Sen. Chuck Schumer, "Look on the bright side, Chuck. Considering how woke your party has become, if Kamala [Harris] loses, you still have a chance to become the first woman president."
Big laughs, and then: "There's a group called White Dudes for Harris. Have you seen this? ... But I'm not worried about them at all, because their wives and their wives' lovers are all voting for me." Bada bing!
The political implications of this new glimpse of Trump's humanity are examined in more detail on my podcast, "What's Bugging Me."
Onstage at the Economic Club of Chicago last week, Trump enthusiastically told the audience of how he paused his phone call to watch the landing of SpaceX's Super Heavy, a 250-ton rocket, on TV as it was embraced by the chopstick-like arms of its huge holder.
"And I see this big, massive tube that's 10 stories, 20 stories tall come down. I told the person on the phone, 'Wait a minute. I'm seeing something that's — I don't believe it, neither does anybody else here.' ... I forgot the guy was on the phone.
"He waited for a half hour. (Laughter.) ... And it looked to me like it was going to crash. It was coming in hot, and all of a sudden, boom, you see the motor, the fire kick in. And I called Elon [Musk]. I said, 'That's the most incredible thing.'"
On a recent podcast hosted by Theo Von, a comedian and recovering addict, Trump discussed his older brother, Fred Trump Jr., who died of alcoholism-related causes at age 42 in 1981.
"He'd say, 'Don't ever drink.' He'd tell me every time, because he had this addiction. And I never had a glass of alcohol.
"Never, ever did I have a glass of alcohol, because of him. And I would say that if I did drink, I could, you know, conceivably be the type of personality that would have a problem, but I never have," Trump said.
On another podcast, the host, Tyrus, a contributor on "Gutfeld" on Fox News, tells how Trump recently appeared on the show and, afterward, stuck around and talked to Tyrus' 10-year-old daughter.
"You talked for 20 minutes ... you could have been her grandfather," Tyrus said. "And I was sitting there, and I was like, 'I have been so wrong about this man,' because I never understood why you fight the way you fight. You're a family man."
Likewise, on Oct. 6, on the "Flagrant" podcast, host Andrew Schulz asked Trump about his kids. Trump said he has "five really wonderful children ... and they are so different," and he always told them, "no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes."
"Did you say that to Donald Jr.?" Schulz asked him.
"Yeah, Don's a little wild, actually. He can be a little tough," Trump responded.
Schulz told him a story he heard from Don Jr.: As a teenager, he asked his dad if he could he have five friends over to Trump Tower one night when Trump Sr. was going to be away. Sure. Trump returned home early to find his son hosting 200 kids upstairs, and he ordered everyone to leave, and Don Jr. spent the next 36 hours cleaning up.
"And (Don Jr.) said to this day, you never have brought it up," Schulz said. "And he said, 'I'm starting to believe it might not have happened.' Can you give him closure?"
President Trump: "No. It happened. No, I can never give him closure."
His hosts cracked up appreciatively. It was funny, unscripted, and authentic — everything that Kamala Harris isn't.
Dennis Kneale is a writer and media strategist in New York and host of the podcast, "What's Bugging Me." Previously, he was an anchor at CNBC and at Fox Business Network, after serving as a senior editor at The Wall Street Journal and managing editor of Forbes. Kneale's new book, "The Leadership Genius of Elon Musk," will be published in January. Read Dennis Kneale's reports — More Here.
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