Inside the Documentary on Donald Trump That He Desperately Tried to Suppress

This story first appeared in WhoWhatWhy:

Donald Trump’s entire career has been about creating and projecting an image of himself that suits his needs. That has never been truer than during his current presidential bid. But what lies behind the image? Is Trump the genius and unremitting success he would have us believe? Is he the master of knowing how to pull all things off, how to win big while intimidating the bad guys and be loved by everyone else?

Long ago — a quarter century ago — when Trump was already making noises about wanting to be president, some filmmakers set out to discover what the man was made of. They learned a lot — an astonishing amount. And they made a documentary. Trump, always aggressive, threatened to sue, and the film never saw the light of day.

Now, though, we’ve obtained this documentary and, in the public interest, are showing it. From today until the first votes are cast in Iowa, we will stream “chapters” of it here.

The film has a gritty tabloid quality to it–and is, by definition, a period piece. However, on the larger issues of Trump’s character and manner of operating, it is more relevant than ever. We dare you to watch this and say that, like Trump, you already “knew it all.”