Article snippet: Back in 2013, a longtime friend of MORE’s, Michael Caputo, sought to persuade the real estate mogul and reality TV star to run for governor of New York the following year. Trump, Caputo told The Hill, said he preferred to aim for “the big thing” — the presidency. When the discussion turned to how Trump would stand out from other candidates who would likely seek the GOP’s 2016 nomination for the White House, Trump had a simple answer. “He saw how to manipulate the media better than any potential opponent,” Caputo recalled. “And later, as I watched him eliminate his opponents one by one, his expertise was completely clear.” Trump’s compulsion to dominate the media agenda has driven him to more and more inflammatory tactics. On Monday, Trump ratcheted up the heat again. He renewed the feud on Twitter with the four Democratic congresswomen known as “the squad” that has seen him widely accused of racism, including by some GOP lawmakers. Seeking to reverse that charge, the president accused the four Democrats — Reps. MORE (Mich.) — of being “a very racist group of troublemakers.” Old allies like Caputo retain their faith in the president’s touch, arguing that he is forcing the Democratic Party onto his preferred territory. But others, including some in the GOP, are much more skeptical. Doug Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee, said he believed Trump had been on the right track at the very outset of the furor, when the president ... Link to the full article to read more