Humiliated by our first black president in 2011, Trump has finally gotten his revenge

Michael D'Antonio, author of "The Truth About Trump," told FRONTLINE journalists, "Donald Trump's fantasy is to be the guy who takes the key to the Oval Office from Barack Obama's hand in 2017. This is a burning personal need that he has, to redeem himself from being humiliated by the first black president."

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 -- when racist Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States -- is a date that will live in infamy.

In a Jan. 3 documentary on PBS that has been largely ignored by the news media, FRONTLINE traced Trump's burning desire to be elected president to the April 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner.

"Trump's invitation to the exclusive gathering came after weeks of attacking President Barack Obama on television" for allegedly not being born in the United States, and possibly being a Muslim.

"You're not allowed to be president if you're not born in this country," Trump said during one appearance. "But there's something on that birth [certificate] -- maybe religion, maybe it says he's a Muslim ...."

'Treated like a pinata'

"But that night, in front of Washington's journalists, politicians and power brokers, Obama would hit back," FRONTLINE reported.

Obama, who had provided his birth certificate, showing he was born in Hawaii, said:

"No one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. [laughter] And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter -- like, did we fake the moon landing? [laughter]

"What really happened in Roswell? [laughter] and where are Biggie and Tupac? [laughter]

"All kidding aside, obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience," the president continued, before relating how Trump had fired someone on the "Celebrity Apprentice" TV show.

"And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night," the president said to more laughter and applause.

"And he's being treated like a pinata by the president of the United States, and I think he felt humiliated," said Timothy O'Brien, author of "TrumpNation."

"Donald dreads humiliation and he dreads shame," said Michael D'Antonio, author of "The Truth About Tump."

"And this is why he often attempts to humiliate and shame other people. So in the case of the president ridiculing him, I think this was intolerable for Donald Trump."

At the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, one attendee recalled, President Obama took the microphone and declared, "Donald Trump is here tonight!" before he "proceeds to filet Donald publicly."

"Trump was steaming," one participant noted. "His face was all locked in. He was not having a good time."

'Maybe I'll show them all'

"I think that is the night that he resolves to run for president," Trump political adviser Roger Stone told FRONTLINE.

"'Maybe I'll just run. Maybe I'll show them all.'"

Omarosa Manigault of the Trump '16 Campaign said:

"Every critic, every detractor will have to bow down to President Trump. It's everyone who's ever doubted Donald, whoever disagreed, whoever challenged him. It's the ultimate revenge to become the most powerful man in the universe."

Grew up in Queens

FRONTLINE begins a discussion of Trump's formative years in Queens, where he grew up "in a posh suburb of Jamaica Estates," in a huge house with columns called "Tara" that was designed by his father, Fred Trump, a real estate developer.

Donald and his brothers and sisters, including Maryanne, now a federal appeals court judge, were raised in luxury.

"When it rained and he had to deliver his papers," author D'Antonio recalled, "the chauffeur would take him around."

Donald Trump was mischievous, though, and when he was 13 years old, his father sent him to the toughest boarding school he could find, the New York Military Academy.

"The New York Military Academy was no-nonsense, heavy on discipline, over the years home to the children of gangster John Gotti and Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista," the narrator says.

"He was a star athlete," the narrator says of Trump. "But his classmates agree he was proudest of winning the ultimate accolade in the all-boys school:

"He was named 'Ladies' Man' in the school yearbook.

"Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy magazine, was a role model for many of the boys."

Enriched himself

After a spectacular series of businesses successes and failures, Trump began selling shares in his struggling Atlantic City casinos.

"Trump paid himself $44 million for services, and he'd been reimbursed millions in expenses even as the stock price began to fall," the narrator said.

"The company filed for bankruptcy three times. Investors lost billions."

You can see a full transcript or view FRONTLINE's "President Trump" here.