DONALD Trump called me late on Saturday night.
‘Is that my man, Piers? It’s your favourite president calling…’
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I laughed at his typically cocksure presumption.
There are actually a few contenders for my favourite president, including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, both of whom I’ve interviewed numerous times and have great respect for, and Nelson Mandela.
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But Trump is the one I’ve known the longest, and best.
He’d seen me appear on Fox News in New York to discuss his first rally appearance since last weekend’s horrific assassination attempt.
I’d said how much I admired his defiance and guts in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and the fact he was back on stage at another rally just seven days later, putting on a crowd-pleasing two-hour performance worthy of a rock star.
‘He’s the Mick Jagger of politics!’ I declared.
And he is: they’re virtually the same age (Trump’s 78, Jagger turns 81 this week), show zero sign of letting age dull their zest for life, and believe in putting on a high-energy show full of their greatest hits which they know their fans will love.
In Jagger’s case, it’s Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women, and Sympathy For The Devil.
In Trump’s case, it’s been Biden-bashing, rigged elections, being indicted more than Al Capone, and making America great again.
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But now, he’s added an instant vote-winning smash hit to his playlist, one that was greeted with huge roars when he unveiled it last night: ‘I took a bullet for democracy!’
And I believe it will propel him back to the White House in the November election, especially now his Democrat opponent Joe Biden has sensationally pulled out of the race.
‘How are you?’ I asked.
‘I’m great,’ he replied, ‘considering I got shot last week!’
He chuckled, but he knows how close he came to death.
Trump’s doctor revealed that the bullet which struck his ear was a quarter inch from entering his head, and almost certainly killing him.
‘I’m so glad you survived,’ I said.
And unlike those who detest him but issued statements shedding literary crocodile tears, I meant it.
For all our ups and downs – he stormed out of our last interview when I said he didn’t have the 2020 election stolen from him – Trump’s been a good friend to me over the years, ever since I won his Celebrity Apprentice show back in 2008.
‘Me too!’ he laughed, again. ‘Those bullets were whistling past my head, making a big wooshing sound. The shooter was a good shot – apparently, he was a hunter. Fortunately, I turned my head at the right moment.
‘I guess God was looking out for me. Kinda crazy, right? But there was so much blood from my ear! I never knew ears bleed the most of any part of the body, so that was an interesting discovery.’
‘Were you not apprehensive about going back out tonight in front of tens of thousands of people?’ I asked.
‘I couldn’t let myself think about that,’ he replied. ‘I had to get straight back out there.’
Massive risk
Whatever you think of Trump, and nobody has a disinterested opinion on America’s most divisive politician, his response to being shot has been remarkably courageous.
Seconds after being hit, he stood back up, arms raised in defiance, chanting ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’
And on Saturday night, he stood alone and exposed on another rally stage for two hours.
Not many public figures would have risked that so soon after nearly being assassinated.
‘How the hell did that lunatic kid get so close to you with a rifle?’ I asked.
I’ve never known Donald Trump sound so calm, happy, focused or with what seems like a profound new awareness of what really matters in life
Piers Morgan
‘I don’t know,’ he sighed. ‘I’m surprised my Secret Service agents didn’t say I should wait 10-15 minutes before going on stage, while they figured out what was going on.
‘There were people in the crowd shouting about seeing the shooter on the roof, so I don’t know what happened.’
Then he switched topics back to what is now, incredibly, only the third most dramatic moment in this race in the past 24 days, behind the shooting and Biden quitting.
But one which was the catalyst for Trump’s surging lead in the polls.
‘What did you think of the debate?’
‘It was a predictable trainwreck for Biden,’ I replied. ‘Just so embarrassing. My 12-year-old daughter came down, and asked if he was asleep!’
Trump laughed loudly, then witheringly mocked ‘bad man Joe’ and his cognitive decline.
‘If he stays in the race, you’ll win,’ I said. ‘And even if he doesn’t, I still think you’ll win.’
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‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘But four months is a long time in politics. Look at the last three weeks! I just hope he stays in as long as possible…’
Well, it turned out to be only a matter of hours.
Biden’s now out, but frankly, whoever the Democrats go for as their replacement nominee, I don’t think it matters.
During our 15-minute conversation, I’ve never known Donald Trump sound so calm, happy, focused or with what seems like a profound new awareness of what really matters in life.
‘There’s nothing more important than good health, Piers. Stay healthy, OK?’
‘Yes, Mr President,’ I replied. ‘You, too.’
‘Thanks, I will. It’s been good to talk. You know me very well; in fact, you know me better than most people. So, I appreciate what you said, and the Jagger compliment!’
I do know him very well, warts and all, and what’s very clear from our phone call is that cheating death has given Donald Trump a new spring in his step, and a presidential race momentum that I believe will now prove unstoppable given the way his opponents are self-imploding.
As Winston Churchill, who fought in several wars, once said: ‘Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.’
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