Donald Trump had some big questions while talking about addiction with comedian Theo Von on a new episode of his podcast, “This Past Weekend.”
The conversation between the politician and podcaster took a serious detour when the pair were discussing Trump’s views on addiction, along with how drugs are impacting Americans.
After first talking about Trump’s late brother, Fred Trump Jr., and his issues with alcohol, Trump and Van turned to the opioid epidemic.
When the Republican asked Von ― who is in recovery ― about his experience with narcotics, the comic told him he used to “do cocaine.”
That admission appeared to pique Trump’s interest, prompting him to chuckle and ask, “That’s down and dirty, right?”
The presidential candidate then took control of the questions, asking Von if he still used cocaine or if it was “too much to handle.”
Ever so candid, Von shuddered and explained how “some of the stuff started to get a real rattle in it, too.”
“I don’t know where we were even getting it from in this country, but yeah, it started to make me feel like I was a mechanic or something,” he added with a grimace.
Continuing to press the “Regular People” standup on his habits, Trump asked, “So the thing you go back to then is alcohol, for the most part?”
YouTube/This Past Weekend
“Right, yeah,” Von replied. “But what I want probably is cocaine, but I know that if I have a drink, then it’ll give me — it’ll be like, ‘OK, well, I had a drink, then I can do this.’”
Getting increasingly curious, Trump asked, “Is cocaine a stronger up?”
“Yeah,” Von responded. “Cocaine will turn you into a damn owl, homie. You know what I’m saying? You’ll be out on your own porch. You’ll be your own streetlamp.”
Pressing the one-time reality star on if that high was a “good” feeling, Von shook his head no.
“It’s a miserable feeling,” Trump then understood.
“But you do it anyway,” Von explained, as he referred back to Fred Trump Jr. and added, “Just like the guy you’re saying with the scotch.”
Earlier in the interview, Trump told Von he never had a “glass of alcohol,” after seeing what substance abuse did to his older brother.
Fred Trump Jr. died in 1981 at the age of 42 after suffering a heart attack that his family attributed to alcoholism.
“He was a great guy. He was a handsome, very handsome guy,” Trump told Von. “I admired so much about him. He had so much going.”
Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.