*Sean “Diddy” Combs was among the biggest celebrity cheerleaders for Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
Is his politics transitioning from blue to red in 2016?
“Donald Trump is a friend of mine, and he works very hard,” the former Howard University student told The Washington Post in a story that ran Friday, the start of Howard Homecoming Weekend.
Before he gets tagged with the “flip-flopper” label, Diddy’s comment was part of a larger point he was making after being asked about the Fox blockbuster, “Empire.”
WaPo’s Roberto A. Ferdman: The show has kind of taken America by storm, but rumor has it that you have been critical of it. Can you talk about your issues, or maybe non issues, with the show?
Diddy: I love Empire. I love the show. It’s one of my favorite shows. It’s beautiful to see the business reflected in the way that shows other people, other kinds of people, build empires too. You know, Donald Trump is not the only person who is a model mogul. That doesn’t need to be, like, the only picture of what an American mogul looks like.
Ferdman: But Donald Trump, just to be fair, was born into a lot of money. He’s made money since, but he had plenty to begin with.
Diddy: Oh, no, I’m not saying anything like that. Donald Trump is a friend of mine, and he works very hard.
My point is that we’re never portrayed, other moguls aren’t always portrayed, in a similar way. The type of intelligence and sophistication that we all have, it’s great to see that magnified on TV. So that when you think of a mogul, of a successful businessman, you think of a variety of examples, of a diverse group of people.
It’s helped me in a way, because it helps people understand a little bit more how much work it takes to do what I’ve done. We don’t walk around with baggy pants, and just hang out with our entourage. It’s not the cliche people think it is.
I’m humbled and appreciate that there may be pieces of my life that helped inspire Empire. But obviously I’m not the only one. There are a lot of people whose life must have inspired the story. And that’s just how you write a story, how you make movies and television shows. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Read Diddy’s entire interview at washingtonpost.com.
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