When the President of the free world has as colourful a history as Donald Trump tales of his various run-ins will provide column inches for years and years to come.
Today’s story has been unearthed by Salon and involves the Rolling Stones’ 1989 Steel Wheels tour, which saw the band come out of a hibernation that lasted most of the ’80s and re-energise their career.
The band’s final show happened at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and involved a sponsorship by the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino and a pay-per-view screening. The Stones weren’t too happy with this association, and so their deal with Trump stipulated the magnate wouldn’t be involved with any of the promo surrounding the gig. Until, of course, he was.
“I get word that I have to come to the press room in the next building,” Michael Cohl, the tour’s promoter, told Pollstar. This happened on the day of the show. “I run to the press room in the next building and what do you think is happening? There’s Donald Trump giving a press conference, in our room!”
Trump acted innocent, saying “they begged me to go up, Michael,” but Cohl wasn’t having any of it and warned Trump away, only to hear he had returned to continue the press conference some minutes later.
“Keith pulls out his knife and slams it on the table and says, ‘What the hell do I have you for? Do I have to go over there and fire him myself? One of us is leaving the building – either him, or us.’”
“One of two things is going to happen,” Cohl relaying to Trump after Keith’s threat. “You’re going to leave the building and, at 6:40, The Rolling Stones are going to speak on CBS News, or you’re not going to leave the building and I’m going to go on and do an interview to explain to the world why the pay-per-view was cancelled.”
Trump was removed by “40 of the crew with tire irons and hockey sticks and screwdrivers” after his own henchmen made vaguely threatening motions.
“And that was the night I fired Donald Trump,” Cohl ends.
