// <![CDATA[
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, ‘script’, ‘twitter-wjs’);
// ]]>
Getting Trumped . . .
The Donald has been called a lot of things.
A character. A kook. A genius. A leader. A media maniac. A one-man play starring Donald Trump and written by Donald Trump in pursuit of the presidency of the United States.
Dem politico David Axelrod described Trump as “a project guy.”
“I know Trump,” said Axelrod, President Barack Obama’s former White House senior adviser.
“He’s a guy of prodigious self-confidence who is very fond of projects, big projects, who called me one day during the Gulf oil leak offering to take it on as a personal project!
“Trump told me: ‘I know how to run big projects. I’ll handle the oil leak for you. The guy you have down there running this operation doesn’t know what he is doing. I’ll get that leak fixed.’ ”
“If you haven’t guessed already, he is not burdened by self-doubt,” added Axelrod.
OPINION
// <![CDATA[
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, ‘script’, ‘twitter-wjs’);
// ]]>
Axelrod, who is now a frequent political contributor at MSNBC, also recounted a Trump vignette involving David’s old mustache.
“I had volunteered to shave off my mustache to raise money for the C.U.R.E. Epilepsy foundation and announced my intent on TV,” said Axelrod.
(The Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy was created by Axelrod and his wife, Susan, whose daughter, Lauren, suffers from the disease.)
So Axelrod did a contribution shout-out on TV to Donald Trump and “he sent me a very large check. One of the largest donations we got,” said Axelrod.
“I will always be grateful for that generous act on Trump’s part,” he added.
“But that doesn’t mean Trump should be president,” he chuckled.
Trump ’em . . .
Did you know Donald Trump, who is never at a loss for words, is a diehard user of Tic Tacs — which he extols for being made in America?
Now you do.
The Blago beat . . .
Patti Blagojevich took to Facebook Tuesday to mark the anniversary of her wedding to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is awaiting the final outcome of his appeal on the corruption conviction that netted him 14 years in prison.
• Marking her status on Facebook as “feeling sad,” Patti Blagojevich wrote: “Happy 25th wedding anniversary to me.”
The Hillary file . . .
How tough is this lady?
This tough: Dem presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton eats jalapeno peppers to maintain her stamina and energy when she is on the road campaigning.
Yipes!
The Biden beat . . .
Sneed is told veep Joe Biden, who is eyeing an entry into the presidential sweepstakes, is relying on his youngest son, Hunter, to keep him focused.
Word is Hunter wants his dad to run, which would honor a request made by Joe’s late son Beau before his death months ago, urging his dad to run.
It’s a tough call.
“Joe Biden is a guy who has been a national figure, touted as a presidential candidate, since 1973,” Dem insider David Axelrod told Sneed.
“He was a major figure in the Senate for 36 years, an extraordinary VP. The issue of our time — the viability of the middle class — has been the cause of his life. And he’s hearing from folks who are nervous about Hillary. So you can see why he is thinking about it,” added Axelrod.
“On the other side of the equation are the realities of such a race, entering against a still strong frontrunner [Hillary] who has a long head start in terms of money and organization. And he knows better than anyone the demands of such a race on a candidate and his family,” Axelrod said.
“So he has a lot to weigh.”
• Pssst! Sneed is told Biden, a practicing Roman Catholic, has been meeting with church leaders in anticipation of Pope Francis’ visit to the White House on Sept. 23 — and, ostensibly, asking for prayers for the right decision.
Stay tuned.
I spy . . .
Blackhawks President John McDonough had lunch at Harry Caray’s on Kinzie with old friends White Sox announcer (and Harry Caray’s former broadcast partner) Steve Stone and Cubs Senior Vice President Mike Lufrano Tuesday.
Sneedlings . . .
Wednesday’s birthdays: Melissa McCarthy, 45; Chris Pine, 35, and Macaulay Culkin, 35.
Follow Sneed on Twitter: @Sneedlings
// <![CDATA[
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script”,"twitter-wjs”);
// ]]>
