Trump talks about cocaine in wild interview

Donald Trump has sat down with one of the world’s biggest emerging podcast hosts, and nothing was off the table.

Donald Trump has been educated about cocaine during a wide-ranging interview with comedian and podcaster Theo Von.

The former president and podcast host, whose show is emerging as one of the most popular new podcasts, were talking about the opioid crisis when Von started talking about his own drug use.

The Republican presidential hopeful then quizzed Von, asking several questions about cocaine.

“Opioids are just horrible,” Mr Trump said.

“I would just do cocaine,” Von responded.

“Oh, that’s down and dirty right?” Mr Trump said. “But you don’t any more?”

“No I don’t do it any more, man and I’m not doing it,” Von said

“Is it too much, too much to handle?” the former president asked.

Donald Trump asked the podcaster about his cocaine use. Picture YouTube

“Some of the stuff started to get a real rattle in it too. I don’t even know where we were getting it from in this country but, yeah, it started to make me feel like a mechanic or something,” Von said.

“So, the thing you go back to is alcohol then for the most part?” Mr Trump asked.

“What I want probably is cocaine but I know if I have a drink then it’ll be like ‘well I had a drink, then I can do this’,” Von said.

“Is cocaine a stronger up?” Mr Trump asked.

“Yep,” Von said.

“So you weigh up with cocaine?” the Republican hopeful asked.

“Cocaine will turn you into a damn owl, homie,” Von said. “You’ll be your own street lamp.”

“And, is that a good feeling?” Mr Trump asked.

“No, it’s horrible,” Von said.

Trump slams lobbyists

On the podcast, Mr Trump also spoke about the effects of lobbying on US politics, saying anyone who goes into government should be banned from ever being a lobbyist.

“You have to stop listening to lobbyists,” he said. “I was not a big person for lobbyists.

“You could say that if you’re an elected official or if you work in government, you can never be a lobbyist.”

“You have people that work in government and they give out contracts to the military, and then they leave, they work for the people that they’re giving out contracts to.”

Trump reveals more about Barron

In a separate interview with the New York Post, Mr Trump spoke at length about his son Barron, answering a question about him attending a university in New York this year.

“He’s all set in a certain school that’s very good,” the former president said in an exclusive interview before his campaign stop in Michigan. The 45th president said the school is in the Empire State, but that his team would be making an announcement about the specific school “soon.”

Mr Trump smiled when The Post asked him if it was NYU, but maintained that he would not reveal the school until the announcement is live.

“He’s always been a very good student, he’s smart,” he said.

Barron Trump, son of former US President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump, takes part in his graduation at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida. Picture: Giorgio Viera / AFP

Barron, 18, graduated from high school in May. His father previously said he got into several schools and was making a decision.

Mr Trump has said that his 6-foot-7 son takes interest in politics and even sometimes advises him on what to do.

“He’s a little on the tall side. I will tell you, he’s a tall one, but he is a good-looking guy. And he’s really been a great student. And he does like politics. It’s sort of funny,” Mr Trump told “Kayal and Company” on Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.

“He’ll tell me sometimes, ‘dad, this is what you have to do’,” he added in May.

Trump to hold first outdoor rally since assassination attempt

The interviews come as Mr Trump plans to hold a rally outdoors in North Carolina this week. It will be the former US president’s first open-air campaign event since he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at an open-air appearance one month ago.

Security precautions are being boosted for the afternoon rally scheduled at an aviation museum in Asheboro, North Carolina, including the use of bulletproof glass surrounding the Republican nominee’s podium, US media reported, citing security and campaign personnel.

The Secret Service had recommended Mr Trump stop holding outdoor events after the agency assigned to protect presidents and candidates failed to stop a gunman who fired at him from a rooftop at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, injuring Mr Trump in the ear and leaving one person in the crowd dead.

Mr Trump, who has held roughly a dozen indoor rallies since the shooting, has publicly stated he wants a return to open-air events. On July 31 he told supporters at an indoor arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that “we’re not giving up the outdoor rallies.”

Days earlier, the 78 year old posted on social media that he would continue to hold open-air events, “and the Secret Service has agreed to substantially step up their operation. They are very capable of doing so.”

Mr Trump will return to outdoor rallies this week. Picture: Nic Antaya/Getty Images/AFP

The Secret Service does not normally comment publicly on security operations and did not respond to requests for confirmation of the use of bulletproof glass and other ramped up security tactics.

The protective detail is planning for Mr Trump to speak from behind a special see-through protective glass barrier before thousands of rally attendees in Asheboro, the Washington Examiner reported on Tuesday, citing a source with first-hand knowledge of the security measures.

The glass is similar to that used in the presidential limousine, which is also designed to protect occupants from a shooting, the newspaper said.

Mr Trump’s rally in Asheboro is a form of counter-programming. It comes on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where security officials have set up a ring of steel around the gathering that formally names Kamala Harris as the party’s 2024 presidential nominee, after President Joe Biden exited the race.

Security was also airtight at last month’s Republican National Convention, which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin just days after the assassination attempt.

Mr Trump is scheduled to take the stage at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame, along with his running mate Senate J.D. Vance.

The museum has posted photographs of bleachers set up to accommodate thousands of guests, and its Facebook account relays guest instructions from the Trump-Vance campaign stating “this event will be outdoors.”

The southern state of North Carolina is considered one of a handful of swing states that are expected to determine the outcome of the November 5 election.