Louis C.K. On Trump's '$10 Billion Deficit In His Heart'
Louis C.K. has given an insight into how Donald Trump operates behind the scenes, as the fallout from the GOP presidential candidate’s despicable comments about women into a hot mic continues.
“When you’re a star they let you do it,” he tells TV personality Billy Bush in the recording, which The Washington Post first reported Friday. “Grab them by the p***y. You can do anything.”
*Later that evening, C.K. appeared at a panel discussion at The New Yorker Festival with a story that captures the GOP presidential nominee’s remarkable selfishness and insatiable desire to satisfy his whims ― be it for material wealth or attention from attractive women ― he simultaneously feels no need to respect as human beings.
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C.K. explained how, as a struggling comedian, he worked at a casino that Trump owned and witnessed its day-to-day operation.
“I saw this thing happening where buses would show up but with little old ladies. They would show up from places like Ohio and Tennessee to Atlantic City on a bus ― like some of them would’ve died on the way,” joked the comedian, who wrote a strong letter against Trump earlier this year.
“They have nothing! And they take that little, tiny nothing, and they turn it into chips,” C.K. said. “As an employee, he watched guests file into the casino and “pour buckets of money into his [Trump’s] machines.”
When Trump appeared at the casino, however, his demeanor was striking in its contrast to the environment around him. For one, he didn’t acknowledge any of the guests patronizing his business.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Hi, folks, thanks for coming!’ It wasn’t like that at all. That’s not what he represented; that’s what was fascinating to me. He didn’t say ‘thank you’ to anybody. He just walked around.”
Still, C.K. observed people around them greeting the brash businessman excitedly. He recalled Trump’s expression while riding the same elevator later. “It was just miserable,” C.K. said. Certainly, anyone who’s been vaguely following the presidential election can picture Trump’s expression:
The comedian’s time at the casino left on him a lasting impression of the former reality TV personality.
“They’re giving him everything. And he has everything, right? And they’re leaving on the same bus with nothing. They’re ruining their lives. And I saw this, like, a reverse charity,” he said, to laughs from the audience, before adding, “He needs it!”
“He has a $10 billion deficit in his heart, so if he doesn’t have that much money, he’s nothing. ... Now, of course, he’s running for president. So he was like, ‘Thank you for your money. Now, I need control over your lives.’”
At least it’s some kind of thank-you.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
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Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)
"I wanted to be able to support my party's nominee, chosen by the people, because I feel strongly we need a change in direction in our country. However, I'm a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate who brags about degrading and assaulting women. I will not be voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and instead will be writing in Governor Pence on election day."
Rep. Cresent Hardy (Nev.)
Sen. Dan Sullivan (Alaska)
!["We need national leaders who can lead by example on [sexual assault and domestic violence]. The reprehensible revelations about Donald Trump have shown me that he can't. Therefore I am withdrawing my support for his candidacy," <a href="https://twitter.com/Nat_Herz/status/784818737689997312" target="_blank">Sullivan said in a statement</a>.&nbsp;](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/gPS8C.C_YjDv1sKOC8VsfQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/57f9387c1b0000e218ef589f.jpg)
Rep. Ann Wagner (Mo.)
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.)
Sen. Shelley Moore Capitol (W. Va.)
Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.)
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley
Rep. Tom Rooney (Fla.)
Rep. Erik Paulsen (Minn.)
Rep Joe Heck (Nev.)
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (N.J.)
Sen. Deb Fischer (Neb.)
But she later said she planned to vote for Trump anyway.
Rep. Bradley Byrne (Ala.)
"It is now clear Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States and cannot defeat Hillary Clinton. I believe he should step aside and allow Governor Pence to lead the Republican ticket."
Byrne later said that he would, after all, support the Republican ticket.
Rep. Scott Garrett (N.J.)
Garrett later said he still intended to vote for the GOP nominee.
"Donald Trump remains the nominee of the Republican Party, and Rep. Garrett has always said he will vote for the Republican Party nominee,” his campaign manager said.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)
"I can not support in any way, shape or form the comments or approach Donald Trump has taken. This is so over the top, it is not even acceptable in locker rooms. It shouldn't be acceptable anywhere. We are talking about the president of the United States. I want someone of high moral values."
But less than a month later, Chaffetz tweeted that he would vote for Trump after all.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.)
But Thune said he still intends to vote for Trump.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.