Donald Trump seems to inspire violence everywhere he goes these days, with campaign rally sucker-punches being thrown on the regular as the nation braces itself for a potential Cheetoh president. But according to a former event promoter for The Rolling Stones, Trump’s penchant for driving others to fits of fury dates all the way back to 1989, when Stones guitarist Keith Richards reportedly pulled a knife backstage after discovering the polarizing figure in his press room.
Former Stones tour promoter Michael Cohl explained to Pollstar last year that the band were not eager to be affiliated with Trump in a contractual connection for an arranged Pay-Per-View event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, which was sponsored and presented by Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
“Unfortunately, the only person I could get to kind of agree to the site fee we needed and to work it through was Donald Trump. Now I had one of those, “Oh God, how am I going to do this?” moments,” Cohl recalled. “And I opened my big mouth in the meeting with The Rolling Stones where they go, ‘this is all great, but we’re not going to be affiliated with Donald Trump. At all. Screw you.’ And I go, ‘I will control Donald Trump! Don’t you worry!’”
This was far harder than expected, according to the ‘Steel Wheels’ tour promoter. Despite the stipulations of the Stones’ contract that Trump stay away from the band, the entrepreneur took over the band’s after-show press room and decided to hold his own conference.
“I get word that I have to come to the press room in the next building. I run to the press room in the next building and what do you think is happening? There’s Donald Trump giving a press conference, in our room!”
“I give him the [come here gesture]. “Come on, Donald, what are you doing? A) You promised us you wouldn’t even be here and, B) you promised you would never do this.” He says, “But they begged me to go up, Michael! They begged me to go up!” I say, “Stop it. Stop it. This could be crazy. Do what you said you would. Don’t make a liar of yourself.”
Upon hearing the news, according to Cohl, Keith Richards “pulls out his knife and slams it on the table and says, ‘What the hell do I have you for? Do I have to go over there and fire him myself? One of us is leaving the building – either him, or us.”
Trump reportedly cleared out of the room for the band, but made an imposing presence with three men “in trench coats, two of them are putting on gloves and the other one is putting on brass knuckles.”
Cohl responded by calling the band’s head of security, who “got 40 of the crew with tire irons and hockey sticks and screwdrivers.”
We haven’t heard confirmation of the story from either the Stones’ or Trump’s camp, but here’s hoping the story finds its way into a Keith Richards biopic someday.
