Trump Biographer Says Ex-President ‘Seemed to Think That He Still Had Some Foreign Policy Powers’ After Leaving Office

Variety Co-Editor Ramin Setoodeh said that former President Donald Trump appeared to believe “he still had some foreign policy powers” after leaving the White House.

Setoodeh has written a new biography on Trump, titled Apprentice in Wonderland , where he documents his conversations with the former president after leaving office. The author has been making book tour rounds on cable news, including a stop on Tuesday’s edition of The Source on CNN.

“What were your biggest takeaways from sitting down with him?” host Kaitlan Collins asked Setoodeh, who began spending time with Trump shortly after the ex-president departed the White House.

“He was very deflated,” Setoodeh replied. “He was conflicted. He was angry about the way in which the press had treated him. He still believed that he won the election, and he was happiest when he talked to me about hosting The Apprentice . It was the thing that brought him the most joy. We watched clips of the show together. We watched the theme song and he really lit up.”

The author went on to say Trump would become “gloomy and resentful” when talking about his time as president. Setoodeh then added this stunning detail, which took Collins aback:

SETOODEH: But he also seemed to think that he still had some foreign policy powers. And there was one day where he told me he needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan even though he clearly didn’t.

COLLINS: He told you that he– while you were interviewing him at Trump Tower, he told you he needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan?

SETOODEH: With the quote, the Afghanistan, is how he referred to it.

COLLINS: I mean, it’s a remarkable experience.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Setoodeh told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that Trump said that television ratings are “ my whole life ” while looking at a framed printout of 20-year-old Nielsen ratings from The Apprentice .

Watch above via CNN.