Trump likens his legal battles to Oprah’s and expresses gratitude for Dr. Phil’s backing

Former President Donald Trump thanked Dr. Phil McGraw for supporting him during an interview set to air Thursday evening.

The interview focuses on Trump’s recent guilty verdict, which he is in the middle of appealing. A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony charges counts of falsifying business records last week, and McGraw asked the president what he thought about “prosecutorial abuse” in his case and generally.

“These people are corrupt and, in some cases, incompetent, but it’s such an honor to have somebody like you see it and see it so clearly. And I knew that — I mean, I remember that years ago you were helping Oprah out and she was sued and it was having a big impact on her, and I thought it was great,” Trump said. “And you know, Oprah used to really like me.”

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Trump was referring to a 1997 lawsuit filed against Oprah Winfrey by heads of the cattle industry for libel. The then talk show host had a segment on the state of beef cattle at the time, where she speculated that U.S. cows could become infected with mad cow disease. While the cattle industry claimed it lost over $10 million in the fallout following the episode, Winfrey ultimately prevailed in court.

Following the airing of the interview, the second part of McGraw’s two-hour show will feature a town hall discussion of the trial and its implications with a live audience. This is the latest episode for Dr. Phil Primetime, his newest show since ending the Dr. Phil Show last year. McGraw got his start on television thanks to Winfrey featuring him on her talk show.