Donald Trump’s life has changed in many ways since he won the presidency in 2016, but perhaps most tragic for the president: he’s lost all of his friends, he says.
The Washington Examiner reports that president joked at a campaign rally in North Carolina this week that everyone treats him differently now that he lives in the White House — and according to Trump, it’s because they respect the office of the presidency so much.
Times are a-changin’
Business Insider reported that President Trump spoke at the rally about the many “wonderful friends” he had — both rich and poor — who now act differently when speaking with him because of his status as the president.
Trump cited a friend identified only as “Richard” as being a prime example.
“Rich guys call up, ‘Uh, Mr. President? How are you, sir? Uh, it’s Richard,'” Trump mocked.
“Oh good, Rich. Hey, Richard, loosen up,” Trump said he had replied. “I said, ‘Richard, call me Donald like you always did.'”
His friend reportedly replied: “‘OK, thank you, Donald. Uh, thank you very much.’ And then two minutes later, ‘Mr. President, it’s been so great,'” Trump lamented.
“I lost all my friends!”
“I lost all my friends!” Trump exclaimed, to laughter from the audience. “They’ve tightened up, they’ve choked. You know what that is? They’ve choked. They can’t breathe.”
Trump added that it’s “because people have such respect for the office of the presidency. They have respect for the office of the president. They have respect for our country again. Our country is respected again.”
Take a look at The Washington Examiner‘s clip of Trump’s talk:
Newfound respect
To be sure, Trump knows a lot of people, and probably has quite an extensive list of those he would count as “friends” even today. That said, his status as the president is undoubtedly something that his friends take into account when speaking with him. Wouldn’t you?
President Trump hasn’t really “lost” all of his friends — and the media will probably “fact check” his humorous anecdote — but his old relationships have most likely changed to some extent over the past few years, which, while sad, at least allows for some funny stories at his campaign rallies.