"He is very, very upset that Debra Messing criticized him as president of the United States," author of Apprentice in Wonderland," Ramin Setoodeh, tells Inside Edition.
A book has been released about Donald Trump's days on the television series "The Apprentice." Among the tidbits in the tell-all is the allegation that the former president had an apparent crush on "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing.
Ramin Setoodeh, author of the new Trump book "Apprentice in Wonderland," says the former president was smitten by Messing when their shows were back to back on NBC. "'She came up to me with her beautiful red hair,'" Trump is quoted as saying. "'And she said, 'Sir – I love you. Thank God for you. You're saving the network, and you're saving my show.''"
When Trump was elected president, Messing became one of Trump's harshest critics.
An entire 2017 episode of "Will & Grace" was devoted to mocking the former president, comparing his skin color to Cheetos.
"He is very, very upset that Debra Messing criticized him as president of the United States," Setoodeh tells Inside Edition. "I think for whatever reason, because 'Will & Grace' was on the same night as 'The Apprentice,' he feels like Debra Messing should have a loyalty to him."
Setoodeh, the co-editor-in-chief of the show business magazine Variety, interviewed Trump six times since he left the White House and he says his favorite subject is "The Apprentice."
The author says Trump is treating who to pick as his running mate like a task from "The Apprentice."
"Donald Trump is looking for a yes man or woman, someone who will look good on camera, be good, quote, casting, and also compliment him, but not overtake him," Setoodeh says.
He says Ohio Senator JD Vance is reminiscent of Bill Rancic, winner of the first season of "The Apprentice."
"Donald Trump liked that [Vance] was very complimentary to Donald Trump, never said a bad word, he was a 'yes' man, and he did a lot of good publicity for the Trump administration," Setoodeh says.
Of Vivek Ramaswamy, Setoodeh says, he is "too out there."
"He's too, I think, over the top. And I don't think Donald Trump would want someone who would take attention away from him," Setoodeh says.
Setoodeh believes North Carolina's Tim Scott ticks all of Trump's boxes.
"What Donald Trump loves is keeping people guessing, and this could be a wild card pick for him," Setoodeh says. "I think because he had an older white man as his vice president last time, he might want to go with someone different, a younger Black candidate. Seems like it would round out the ticket."
"Apprentice in Wonderland" is on sale now. An excerpt from the book can be found here.
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign tells Inside Edition the author of "Apprentice in Wonderland" has "allowed Trump derangement syndrome to rot his brain."
