Mr BioFile Interviews by Scoop Malinowski
Bradenton resident Mark Scoop Malinowski’s unique, insightful book is “simply a collection of memories and anecdotes from a wide range of people who have had close encounters with the current President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. That is all this book is about, there’s no politics or agendas…”
John McEnroe: “I’ve known Donald Trump a little over the years. Donald Trump put $1,000,000 on the table for a winner take all tennis match between me and Serena Williams. At least he didn’t bear a grudge when I turned down the offer. My dad sent Trump a letter of support asking if there was anything he could do to help at the start of his campaign to get the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election. Of course, at that point, no one thought Trump had a chance of winning the election…Trump has had a box right next to the broadcaster’s booth at the US Open ever since the Arthur Ashe Stadium opened (in 1997). Even before he became President, you didn’t see him there as much as he used to be, it’s a sign of tennis losing popularity that Donald’s not around to get his mug on TV. But at the 2015 US Open he was very much in attendance and Mike Tirico – one of the best play-by-play guys on ESPN before he moved to NBC – said, ‘You know Trump, right? Let’s go over and say hello,’ because he wanted to meet him.”
“Patty (wife) and Ava (daughter) were with me and they were telling me, ‘Don’t you dare go over there. He’s a misogynist and a blowhard, it could hurt your reputation.’ But I said, ‘Hey, come on, it’s no big deal.’ So I took Mike over and sure enough, ESPN showed it on TV, me hugging Donald like we were long lost brothers or something. Trump did seem more pleased to see me than he usually would be and I only realized why when he started saying, ‘John, thank you so much for the letter your wrote. I’ve already got it up on the wall in my office.’ I hoped this was fake news because I didn’t want everyone who went into Donald Trump’s office during the election thinking I was his number one fan. Now that Donald has been elected President of the United States, there might be an ambassadorship in this for me…”
John Scully (Former pro boxer and trainer): “Trump came in after the fight to congratulate Derrick ‘Smoke’ Gainer after a fight at Convention Hall in Atlantic City (1995). I saw that and I took a picture of it as it was happening. I thought it was pretty cool at that moment that he came back to the dressing room to congratulate an undercard fighter.”
Ann Grossman (Former WTA pro tennis player): “I walked by Trump on a midtown Manhattan street the day after I lost to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario at US Open and Trump recognized me and made a comment, “Great match yesterday Ann!”
Ronald Reagan (Former two-term President): “For the life of me, and I’ll never know how to explain it, but when I met that man, I felt like I was the one shaking hands with the President.”
Richard Pagliaro (Journalist/reporter at www.tennisnow.com): “I have two witnesses to this story so Trump can’t call it Fake News. It happened before a Jimmy Connors match at Manhattanville College in Purchase in the 1990s. Trump inhaled two dogs faster than King Kong swallowing a couple of tic tacs.”
Chris Alderucci (Golf nut): “I played one round of golf with Trump (at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, NJ) years before he became President. I never got a word in the whole day. It was basically him talking, us listening. He is a decent golfer with a good foot wedge [laughs].”
Lloyd Carroll (Columnist at Queens Chronicle weekly newspaper): “I was at an NBC press conference for The Apprentice. His first season had done very well. He was there with his assistant George, the Jewish guy, I forget his last name, and his whole staff. And I go over to Trump and introduce myself. One of the girls on the show was from Philadelphia, my old neck of the woods. She had a very whiny, Brooklyn accent. Her name was Holly. So I go over to Trump and I tell him, ‘Donald, I love The Apprentice, but one of your contestants, Holly, with her deez, dem, doz, she should have been on the Lefrak Apprentice.’ Samuel Lefrak was the poor man’s Trump, doing middle class housing, Lefrak City in Queens, rent control, things regulated. So Trump said, ‘Holly’s a very nice girl….’ Then he tapped me on the shoulder (and added), ‘But I know what you mean [laughs]!'”
“And I wrote about that encounter. And I sent a copy to Howard Rubinstein, who is Trump’s PR guy. And one thing about Trump is he reads everything. Any time is name is anywhere, he reads where it’s from. Oh, but another story, following up that. After the success of The Apprentice, he was being roasted at The Friar’s Club. It might have been a year later. So I was covering it. So at the press conference I raise my hand.
Trump was doing his shtick… I’ve seen grown men cry at these roasts. I raise my hand. I asked, ‘Donald, the fact you grew up in Jamaica Estates Queens, is that an advantage, you have a tougher skin, you can handle this better other can?’ He said, ‘Being from Queens is always an advantage.'”
“I wrote that up. Sent that to the Queens Chronicle. I sent it to Howard Rubinstein. Rubinstein must have shown it to Trump. A year later I’m at Trump Tower. The state of Virginia was having a wine event there. Bob McDonald, who got in trouble later, was the governor. Trump sees me, taps me on the shoulder, ‘What’s new in Queens?’ I said, ‘Not much Donald, we miss you.'”
“So that’s my Donald Trump stories. I saw he was just at The Friar’s Club two days ago. And I saw photos of Trump back in the day. I think he had more fun. I absolutely feel he had more fun before he became President Trump than he is now. He was young, he was having the time of his life. I always wonder if he has regrets about becoming President.”
Jackie Kallen (Former boxing manager of James Toney and subject of the 2004 film “Against The Ropes”): “I have many memories of Donald Trump. My first encounter with him was the 1988 Mike Tyson – Michael Spinks fight. My ex-husband and I were with Thomas Hearns and his his wife, and Bill Laimbeer (of the Detroit Pistons) and his wife. Donald and his then-wife Ivana hosted the most amazing party I have ever been to. The room was packed with A-listers including Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Billy Crystal, Herschel Walker, and so many others that you didn’t know where to look first. Trump worked the room perfectly, greeting and shaking hands with all of his guests. He seemed approachable and extremely comfortable among this group of celebrities.”
“A few years later, James Toney fought in Atlantic City at one of Trump’s casinos (Trump Taj Mahal). Again he was friendly, taking my ex-husband and I to dinner with his girlfriend Marla Maples. He gave us signed copies of “The Art of the Deal” and talked boxing and business.”
“The only time that I saw Trump act unpleasant was after the Toney – (Dave) Tiberi fight. He was as warm and friendly as ever before the fight, but he disagreed loudly with the decision when Toney got the win (by judge’s decision). He thought it was an outrage and went straight to Tiberi’s locker room to console him. I remember him looking at me in the ring as the referee held Toney’s hand in the air. He shook his head in disgust. Even though I had nothing to do with the decision, I could tell he was upset with me, and I did not know why. Not long after, a federal investigation into the fight was launched. They later concluded that there was no wrongdoing on anyone’s part, but it led to the creation of the Muhammad Ali act.”
The book is available at amazon for $9.99 and at Cafe Bagels on Gulf Of Mexico Drive in Holmes Beach, FL.
