Why Bill Clinton Is Behind Donald Trump’s Problems

BY EDWARD KLEIN / AUGUST 9, 2015

Bill Clinton is rubbing his hands with glee and taking full credit for Donald Trump’s mounting problems—his belligerent handling of Fox’s Megyn Kelly and his refusal to rule out a third-party bid.

Political insiders tell ED KLEIN CONFIDENTIAL that Bill—who Charlie Rose once called “the best political animal that’s ever been in American politics”— was up to his usual shenanigans when he called  Trump several weeks ago and encouraged him to run for president.

In Bill’s judgment, Jeb Bush posed the biggest threat to Hillary’s chances of winning the White House, and he figured—rightly—that a Trump candidacy would put a crimp in Bush’s campaign and sow confusion in the GOP ranks.

Bill is a master at reading other people’s weaknesses, and he predicted that Trump—who never lets a slight or insult go unpunished—would go ballistic under tough questioning by Fox News anchors during the first Republican president debate.

Bill was thrilled—but not surprised—when Trump threatened to launch a third party bid if he was defeated in the Republican primary. That was music to Bill ears, because it would split the Republican vote and hand the election to Hillary.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that Bill Clinton thinks he was the real winner of last week’s Republican presidential debate.