Richard Branson: Trump focused on ‘destroying’ those who didn’t help him

Billionaire Richard Branson claims Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump once told him he would spend his life “destroying” several people who refused to help him.

In a blog post Friday, the Virgin Group founder describes his first ever meeting with Trump at a one-on-one lunch years ago in New York.

{mosads}”Even before the starters arrived he began telling me about how he had asked a number of people for help after his latest bankruptcy and how five of them were unwilling to help,” Branson wrote. “He told me he was going to spend the rest of his life destroying these five people.”

Branson said he was “baffled” as to why Trump was sharing this with him and “wondered if he was going to ask me for financial help.” 

“If he had, I would have become the sixth person on his list.” 

Branson pointed to the anecdote as an example of Trump’s “vindictive streak” which would pose a danger if he were elected. 

“For somebody who is running to be the leader of the free world to be so wrapped up in himself, rather than concerned with global issues, is very worrying,” he wrote.

Branson, who last week said a Trump presidency would be “a disaster,” also praised Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Friday and remarked about a different lunch he had with her, describing the former secretary of State as a “good listener” and “eloquent speaker.”

“As she understands well, the President of the United States needs to understand and be engaged with wider world issues, rather than be consumed by petty personal quarrels,” he wrote.