"You know it's very cool being a television star," Donald Trump said.
The president's release of his birth certificate guaranteed Trump's trip to New Hampshire would be a success…by making it news, and by giving trump a chance to gloat:
"I am really honored and I'm really proud that I was able to do something nobody else could do."
Inside the packed hangar, it was obvious Trump thrives on the give and take with the media…though it wasn't so obvious where it will lead:
Andy Hiller asked, “Mr. Trump, are you playing with us, or are we playing with you?”
“I actually think you're playing with me, but I accept that," Trump said.
And after another event, it was even clearer to me that the game will end soon, because while he's entertaining, he's not a credible candidate.
Hiller: “Sir, can you win any primaries. Can you name a primary you can win?”
Trump: “Oh, I think I can win a lot of primaries.”
But he didn't name one…so I tackled another issue.
Hiller: “Sir, your hair looks so much better in real life than on TV…”
Trump: “I love this guy…
Hiller: “Why can't you get someone to fix it, it looks fine.”
Trump: “It looks much better than people think.”
Reporter: “Who has better hair, you or Mitt Romney?”
Trump: “He has good hair…”
Hiller: “But you have more money.”
Trump: Nods.
And as he left it was hair, not money, on his mind:
"I loved your question you told me how good my hair was. That's the first time I've heard that," Trump said.
Now that we're such good friends, Mr. Trump, perhaps you'll take my advice: don't run!
If you win, it would be a demotion. And, if you didn't like the White House, you couldn't be fired for four years.
I’m Andy Hiller, that’s my instinct.
(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)