# Old (pre-Apprentice) TV mentions of Donald Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies, trump\ **Created:** [October 2, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540 "2026-10-02T16:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/1 "2026-10-02T16:25:56Z")
Watching the made-for-TV movie _The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits_ (1996) Rockford tells Angel that he’s “living like Donald Trump”. I know there have been a number of older TV shows that mention him, but can’t recall specific shows/episodes at the moment. Hoping to compile a list here, just out of curiosity. Mentions from shows after his political career and run on _The Apprentice_ _ **DO NOT** _ count for this list. So things from before around 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/2 "2026-10-02T16:31:24Z")
Trump appeared on Robin Leach’s **Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous** show in 1994. You will be unsurprised to learn that [even then he was making disturbing comments](https://people.com/tv/donald-trump-robin-leach-interview/). > [@](#): > > It happened after Leach asked Trump and his then-wife Marla Maples what attributes their infant daughter [Tiffany] inherited from her parents. > > “I think that she’s got a lot of Marla, she’s really a beautiful baby,” Trump said. “She’s got Marla’s legs. We don’t know whether or not she’s got this part yet but time will tell,” he added, holding his hands in front of his chest to represent breasts. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/3 "2026-10-02T16:34:29Z")
He was mentioned often in **Just Shoot Me** as Jack Gallo (George Segal) talked about the bets he had with him and trying to outdo him in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/4 "2026-10-02T16:46:30Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > He was mentioned often in **Just Shoot Me** That’s probably one of the series I remember hearing it in recently, on [Rewind TV](https://rewindtv.com/). _Mad About You_ and _Rules of Engagement_ seem like likely ones, too, now that I think about it. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/5 "2026-10-02T16:53:46Z")
There was old Motorweek review that they posted to their YouTube channel where host John Davis comments that the car being reviewed is “big enough for Donald Trump… or at least his ego.” I do not recall what specific video it was, but IIRC it was something that originally aired around the early 1990s. https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL8HILNMicoi6frBzfDro05x0W-44D1ZWz&wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=1&enablejsapi=1 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/6 "2026-10-02T16:56:27Z")
A 1988 episode of _Sesame Street_ featured a “Grouch” muppet named Ronald Grump, who wanted to tear down Oscar’s trash can so he could build a skyscraper. Another “evil real estate developer” character named Ronald Grump appeared in a 1994 episode, but this time he was a human played by Joe Pesci. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/7 "2026-10-02T16:59:15Z")
Do comic strips count? There was a whole run of Bloom County from the late '80s where Trump’s brain was transplanted into Bill the Cat. It was scathing. [Here’s one of my favorites.](https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalHumor/comments/1gvfmhj/its_now_almost_36_years_since_trumps_brain_was) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/8 "2026-10-02T17:00:31Z")
There are references to both Trump _and_ Hillary Clinton, the two future 2016 presidential nominees, in 1995’s _Die Hard: With a Vengeance._ ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/9 "2026-10-02T17:05:31Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Do comic strips count? Sure. I think I remember _Doonesbury_ mentions, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/10 "2026-10-02T17:06:31Z")
Trump made a few cameo appearances in 80s and 90s television, as far back as the mid-80s. There was a The Jeffersons episode in 1985 where they went to Atlantic City, where he made an uncredited appearance. I remember him in an episode of The Fresh Prince as well. He always plays himself, a real estate tycoon. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/11 "2026-10-02T17:08:05Z")
April 1, 1992 [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XHxFaO9fzSI/hqdefault.jpg "Sam could've saved us all!!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHxFaO9fzSI) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/12 "2026-10-02T17:13:36Z")
In a 1998 episode of _Friends_, Chandler and Monica talk about having seen Donald Trump waiting for an elevator in a hotel they were staying at. Earlier the same year, Chandler botched a Trump joke directed at Joey for wearing a blue blazer. Neither reference was really _about_ Trump, in either a positive or negative way. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/13 "2026-10-02T17:17:26Z")
Gremlins 2 had real estate tycoon Daniel Clamp. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/14 "2026-10-02T17:34:52Z")
Not television but he’s parodied in The Coup’s song “Pimps (Free Stylin’ at the Fortune 500 Club)” from 1994. The song is set at a fancy party where rich people decide to rap. Trump interrupts and drops a verse, mostly about money and being a wannabe gangster. The other rich people are not impressed and do not wish to hear more from him. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/15 "2026-10-02T17:41:09Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > There are references to both Trump _and_ Hillary Clinton, the two future 2016 presidential nominees, in 1995’s _Die Hard: With a Vengeance._ I remember the 911 operator saying ‘yeah, and I’m gonna marry Donald Trump.’ Do you recall the Hillary reference? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/16 "2026-10-02T17:46:53Z")
Of course there’s the eerily prescient flash-forward scene in the 2000 _Simpsons_ episode “Bart to the Future” where President Lisa Simpson mentions the budget crunch she inherited from President Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/17 "2026-10-02T17:47:44Z")
In a cold open for _Saturday Night Live_, Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks (RIP to both) parodied Trump and Ivana during their divorce proceedings (which Google AI says was finalized in 1992). Video [here](https://youtu.be/G1gC912LUq0?is=wD48cpuz1qZpO6Ma). Do we have an earlier mention? Edit: _Bloom County_ would probably predate this. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/18 "2026-10-02T17:49:29Z")
Darrell Hammond also portrayed Trump as a Reform Party presidential candidate in a mid-90s SNL cold open, announcing his plans to tear down the White House and replace it with a high-rise casino hotel called the Donald House. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/19 "2026-10-02T17:51:52Z")
If you’re considering comic strips, you should also look at the frequent mentions in Spy magazine, where he was described as a “short-fingered vulgarian.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540/20 "2026-10-02T18:02:59Z")
Would Donald Trump’s cameo in Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” video (_Ghostbusters II_ Soundtrack) be the kind of thing we’re looking for? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rZpr4qQzeI0/maxresdefault.jpg "Bobby Brown - On Our Own (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZpr4qQzeI0&t=91) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-pre-apprentice-tv-mentions-of-donald-trump/1033540.md?page=2)