Conrad Black says that his “old friend” Donald Trump is not anti-Muslim, despite a proposal for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” and that a President Trump would avoid the pitfalls of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Black, the Canadian-born media baron and presidential biographer, heaped praise on Trump during an interview on CTV Power Play, calling him “a delightful raconteur, a gentleman, a suave character with a beautiful and charming wife.”
Black stopped short, however, of endorsing the Republican front-runner, clarifying, “I like him but he’s not my candidate.”
Black elaborated on an essay in National Review entitled “Trump Is the Good Guy.” In the piece, he wrote that U.S. politics is funded by sources like the “sleazy and opinionated philistines in the entertainment industry” and “corrupt and vulgar and virtually all Americans know it.”
Black argued that Trump supporters are reacting to 20 years of bad government. “It is little wonder that the country is looking elsewhere than the ranks of its elected officials to find a possible president,” he wrote.
The Lord Black of Crossharbour, as he’s also known, was asked to explain Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and he said Trump “shouldn’t have said it the way he said it.”
Black said he believes Trump is merely proposing the same as FBI Director James B. Comey.
“Comey said you can’t screen these people adequately if you bring them in quickly, and Donald is not saying we can’t ever have Muslim immigrants,” Black explained. “He’s saying we can’t let them in right now without proper screening.”
“He does, at least, unlike most of the candidates, acknowledge that the United States is partly responsible for the huge numbers of refugees,” Black added. “If the U.S. hadn’t invaded (Iraq)… we wouldn’t have millions of refugees.”
Black also stressed that he believes Trump’s campaign is not focused on opposing minority groups like Muslims, but instead is aiming at American people who are “mad as hell at the last 20 years of misgovernment by administrations and Congresses of both parties.”
Trump, Black predicted, would “settle it down” if he ever won the Oval Office.
“He would actually define national interest, not over-extend like George W., not retreat like Obama, not have self-erasing red lines and he would stop the deficits.”
After Black’s essay was published online Tuesday, Trump tweeted: "What an honor to read your piece. As one of the truly great intellects & my friend, I won't forget!!"
