1989 Documentary Resurfaces With All Kinds Of Dirt On The Donald

A 25-year-old documentary on Donald Trump that the real estate mogul reportedly tried to quash at the time of its filming now has been revived in light of his presidential bid.

"Trump: What's The Deal?" was bankrolled by businessman Leonard Stern, who owned various New York media properties at the time, including the alternative weekly newspaper The Village Voice. It was conceived by the late producer Ned Schnurman as part of a series called "Famous Americans," according to a 1989 New York Magazine cover story on the project.

"What's The Deal?" ultimately failed to reach an audience for a number of reasons: Trump reportedly tried to derail the project, Stern refused to infuse more cash into its production after a certain point, and no TV stations ever agreed to air it, according to the New York Magazine story. The New York Times reported that in 1991, over Stern's objections, Schnurman did end up screening the 90-minute finished product to an audience of 800 people in Bridgehampton, New York.

The unauthorized documentary since had been kept under wraps until it was posted for free online last week. What's striking about watching "What's The Deal?" today -- and learning its backstory -- is that so much of what kept The Donald in the headlines in the late '80s still rings true going into the 2016 election.

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