Donald Trump is a huge Orson Welles fan. Huuuge.
The presumptive Republican Nominee for president recently told Bloomberg that he “loves Orson Welles,” adding, “He was totally fucked up. He was a total mess. But think of his wives. Think of his hits.”
READ MORE: ‘Citizen Kane’ Interview: Watch Orson Welles Discuss the Classic Film on BBC in 1960
Ah yes, the wives and the hits. Though Trump said his favorite film is Welles’s ‘Citizen Kane,” a movie about an heir to a fortune who becomes power hungry–ahem–his overall view of Welles is decidingly negative. “He thought everybody was a moron,” Trump said. “He was like this great genius that after 26, never did it. He became totally impossible.”
Perhaps ironically, some of Welles’ least admirable qualities are exactly what Trump says attracted him to the director. “If he had a budget he’d exceed it by 20 times and destroy everything,” Trump said. “He became impossible. I loved that.”
WATCH: Orson Welles at 100 (with Jonathan Rosenbaum)
It’s worth noting that before Trump began working for his father’s real estate company, he had aspirations of becoming a movie producer. Trump told Bloomberg he thought about going to the University of Southern California to pursue filmmaking after graduating from New York Military Academy.
Demonstrating some international film knowledge by referencing a U.K. movie, Trump also told Bloomberg he loved the villain of the 1964 James Bond film, “Goldfinger.” “I thought Goldfinger was just a great character,” Trump said. “To me he was the best of all the characters. Semi-believable.”
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