WASHINGTON (AP) — In the January 2004 pilot of “The Apprentice,” Donald Trump said something he would never admit today.

“It wasn’t always so easy,” he intones via voice-over, noting that by the late 1980s, “I was seriously in trouble” and “billions of dollars in debt.”

It is one of the few times Trump has ever publicly acknowledged failure. Even then, he was reading a script meant to promote against-the-odds credentials for viewers, previewing the combative charisma that propelled his political career a decade later.

“I fought back,” Trump said. “And I won. Big league.”

Trump never loses. At least in his telling.

He declared victory within days of the Iran war starting, and repeated it constantly, even as Tehran struck U.S. and allied targets and choked off the Strait of Hormuz, spreading economic pain around the globe.

With a ceasefire now in place, Trump says the United States has accomplished its goals.

The president is extolling a change in rule after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed. But he was replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is seen as more hard-line. Trump says Iran will not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, but Tehran has stockpiles of enriched uranium. The strait is reopening — under Iranian military control.

When The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board wrote that Trump had claimed a premature win in Iran, the president responded in a social media post Thursday, “Actually, it is a Victory.”

On Saturday he posted that news outlets “love saying that Iran is ‘winning’ when, in fact, everyone knows that they are LOSING, and LOSING BIG!” Asked later in the day about the state of negotiations with Iran, Trump responded, “Regardless what happens, we win.”

Claiming the winner’s mantle has been part of Trump’s psyche since he was a young man and a New York real estate developer. It has persisted on matters great and small.

The golf tournaments at his clubs, where he is the perennial champion. The adverse court rulings where he insists things went his way. The deals he announces that are never consummated.

“He has this fictional narrative in his head” and is “like a screenwriter,” said David Cay Johnston, author of “The Making of Donald Trump.” “When you need to change the narrative, you just change it. ”

No example is as stark as Trump’s rejection of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election, an outcome affirmed in 60-plus court cases and by his own attorney general. Yet Trump has declared victory so often that his supporters believe him. He knows the power of repetition and volume.

This is the world of Trump — pitchman and president, shaper of his story and others’, sloganeering his way through his second term. One baseball cap he wears and hawks encapsulates the approach in five words: “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.”

The Supreme Court strikes down his signature tariffs? Trump vows to work around the ruling so his import taxes can be “used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty.” If promised investments in the U.S. that he’s promoted don’t actually materialize, he just says they did while sometimes inflating their fictitious value.

His Department of Justice stops appealing court rulings blocking executive orders meant to punish big law firms, then it reverses course because non-appeals might look like admitting defeat.

This form of alternative programming has become a governing principle — and a Trump family value.

One of the president’s sons, Eric, said his father “has never needed to project a ‘winning image.’”

“He IS the definition of a winner,” the younger Trump said in a statement, “based on what he has built and accomplished.”

‘That was the messaging strategy’

Sarah Matthews, a former first-term Trump White House deputy press secretary who resigned when a mob of Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, said the president’s “ego won’t allow him to acknowledge defeat” and that “reality just kind of bends” to it.

“That was the messaging strategy,” Matthews said. “It was, ‘How can we redefine this loss as a victory?’”

She said she regrets it now, but back then, there was “always a way to find an excuse to justify that loss and defend his position.”

More recently, Trump’s second-term White House marked his first year back in office by listing “365 wins” over the same number of days. Those included some repetitive and exaggerated claims and also touted rising stock markets, falling gas prices and strong job creation that are mostly no longer true since the Iran war began.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump “proudly projects the unmatched greatness of our country consistently in his public comments.”

John Bolton was one of Trump’s first-term national security advisers and an early supporter of the U.S. and Israel striking Iran. But he said that Trump’s declaration of victory over Iran was always “baked in the cake” regardless of the actual outcome.

“The world for him is divided into winners and losers,” Bolton said. “And he’s always a winner.”

Presenting setbacks as wins isn’t new

In 1973, federal authorities sued Trump and his father, alleging racial discrimination in renting apartments their company built in Brooklyn and Queens, two New York City boroughs. Urging the Trumps to countersue was Roy Cohn, the notorious lawyer who aggressively promoted Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist “red scare” hearings of the 1950s.

The case was settled after both sides signed an agreement two years later prohibiting the Trumps from “discriminating against any person.” The future Republican president said it was a victory, noting there had been no admission of guilt — despite the Justice Department calling the settlement “one of the most far-reaching ever negotiated.”

Trump first met Cohn in 1973 at Manhattan’s exclusive Le Club, and Cohn is credited with imparting key rules, including never admitting you are wrong or admitting defeat and attacking anyone who attacks you.

Cohn “taught Donald, you never concede as much as a comma,” Johnston said.

“Whatever position you’ve taken, that’s the position, and anybody who challenges you, they’re wrong. They’re disgusting. They’re incompetent. They’re idiotic,” Johnston said. “If they’re law enforcement, they’re corrupt.”

Bankruptcies didn’t dent Trump’s image

Through the years, Trump consistently lost money, launching failed lines of namesake products that included steaks, bottled water, vodka, a magazine, an airline, a home mortgage concern and online classes. His Trump Plaza Hotel filed for bankruptcy, his New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League folded and the Tour de Trump cycling race never became the U.S. answer to the Tour de France.

Barbara Res, who worked for Trump at his company for nearly two decades, remembers him being fond of pitting top executives against one another to ensure he remained the most powerful voice, even as losses mounted.

For today’s Trump, she said, “Nothing is wrong to him, if it helps him.”

“He wasn’t always like that. He understood the difference before,” said Res, author of “Tower of Lies: What My Eighteen Years of Working With Donald Trump Reveals About Him.” “I can’t say why he changed. It could be because he has so much power. Or because he never really believed it.”

None of that tarnished Trump’s self-projected image as rich and famous, which was supercharged by the TV hit “The Apprentice.”

But Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of television and popular culture, said that success was built on earlier factors, including the appealing hubris built into the title of Trump’s 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal,” his aggressive courting of media attention and his obsession with naming things after himself.

That helped Trump become the “stock character of billionaire,” landed him on the likes of “The Jeffersons,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Nanny,” and in “Home Alone 2,” Thompson said.

“When you need someone to quickly and efficiently represent ‘American Rich Guy,’ Trump has kind of cast himself in that position,” Thompson said, “and everybody goes along with it.”

Trump did not acknowledge his staggering losses. After his three casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, filed for bankruptcy, he insisted to The Associated Press in 2016 that Atlantic City had been “a great period for me.”

Starting in 2007, meanwhile, he became a mainstay with WWE executive Vince McMahon, whose wife, Linda, is now Trump’s education secretary. The future president relished raucous, made-for-TV events where the wrestler he was backing always won.

Trump also began addressing crowds, honing the “sketch and the rhythm” that would later become his strength as a politician, Thompson said: “The rallies are born in wrestling,” he said.

“Winning is an attitude, not a collection of facts,” Thompson said. “Winning is, in this case, always defined by the person doing the winning.”

‘You make your own reality’

Trump carried that can’t-lose view into his political career.

After he lost the 2016 Republican Iowa caucus, he posted that the winner, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, “illegally stole it.” Trump claimed to have won the popular vote against Democrat Hillary Clinton that November, “if you deduct millions of people who voted illegally.” In addition to his false claims that the 2020 race was stolen, he alleged widespread wrongdoing in the 2024 election, despite capturing all key swing states.

Russell Muirhead, a Dartmouth College professor who has written about Trump’s chaotic governing style, said the president has been at the practice long enough “to live in a world where you make your own reality” and there is no real world “outside your own mind.”

Even the way Trump plays golf means racking up wins — at least at his own properties.

Trump says he has won 38 times at golf clubs he owns. That includes a 2018 tournament in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he did not play but beat the winner in a subsequent match, one where he missed the first round and another during which he posted a final-round 67 — a score even some professional golfers would envy.

Matthews said that when she worked for him at the White House, she could not recall Trump ever admitting being wrong, even in private.

“When it’s obvious that it looks like a loss on paper, you have to kind of spin this somehow into a victory,” she said. “Because that’s what Trump would want.”

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: Will Weissert has covered politics for The Associated Press since 2011 and the White House since 2022.

Police and ambulances are at Sheddocksley Woods on Sunday afternoon.

Police have taped off a woods in Aberdeen amid an ongoing incident with multiple emergency services in attendance.

A major police presence is at the scene at Sheddocksley Woods in the city with uniformed officers standing guard. A large area has also been cordoned off by the force.

Images show several police vehicles in attendance with ambulances also parked up on a nearby street on Sunday afternoon (April 12).

It’s currently unknown what the nature of the incident is but locals have reported that officers have been knocking on doors in the area for information.

A witness also told the Record that emergency services have been at the scene for the last few hours.

Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.

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Even a small shift in your routine can have a big impact on energy levels and overall wellbeing.

Many of us spend the winter tucked inside and moving less than we should.

Now is the perfect time to change that without feeling like it is a chore. One simple approach is to add short walks into your day.

You do not need hours of exercise. Even 10 to 15 minutes in the fresh air can lift your mood and get your body moving.

Try planning a walk at the same time each day. Whether it is first thing in the morning, during lunch, or after work, having a set routine makes it easier to stick to.

If possible, walk somewhere with green space. Nature has a calming effect and can make the walk feel less like exercise and more like a chance to enjoy yourself.

Another way to use longer days is to break up periods of sitting.

Stretch your arms above your head, rotate your shoulders, or take a few steps around the house or garden every hour. These small movements keep your joints moving and prevent stiffness.

You can also combine everyday tasks with movement. Carry your shopping a little further, take the stairs instead of lifts, or park further away when you go out.

These small choices add up and use the extra daylight effectively.

If you like structured exercise, consider moving some of it outdoors. A gentle jog, cycling, or even a bodyweight session in the garden can feel easier when there is daylight around you.

Being outside gives vitamin D, which is important for bones, mood and energy.

The key is to enjoy movement rather than treat it as a chore. The extra daylight is an opportunity to try new things, explore local paths, and get your body used to more activity without overthinking it.

Start small, aim for consistency, and gradually increase your time outside.

Even if you have been less active over the winter, now is a perfect chance to start again.

Focus on small wins, enjoy the fresh air, and let the longer days work in your favour.

Jeremy Kimmel, arts, heritage and engagement director at The Amelia Scott, said: “Royal Tunbridge Wells has been shaped by centuries of royal connections, from the first royal visit in the early 1600s to what was then just woodland, to becoming the favourite summer retreat of Princess Victoria.”

The La Scala restaurant, located at 49 Chorley Road, has stood empty since the restaurant closed in April 2025.

The latest application proposes creating 15 office units within the property, with eight offices on the ground floor and seven on the first floor.

The plans also include two kitchenette facilities and toilet facilities.

Plans show the layout of the offices (Image: Bolton Council)

A previous scheme, submitted in October 2025, sought to transform the ground floor into a convenience store and convert the upper floor into a series of office suites.

However, that proposal was rejected by planners.

Bolton Council refused the earlier application because the design, bulk, siting and materials would appear “overly dominant and incongruous,” harming both the character of the existing building and the surrounding street scene.

Planning officers also highlighted the importance of the building itself, describing its red-brick façade as “attractive” and noting that it serves as a “landmark” with “high status” in the area.

The new application has again been submitted by the owner of the property, Mr Holden.

According to planning documents, the site is currently classified as a Class E(b) restaurant, with an external car park, and has operated in this capacity for more than 25 years.

Before that, the building functioned as a public house with accommodation above.

The proposal would retain the property within the same broad use class, Class E, meaning significant structural alterations are not expected to be required.

A decision on the latest application is pending.

The Man Who Paints Football is the debut publication of artist Paul Town and features more than 100 artworks of grounds past and present.

Among the stadiums featured is Bolton Wanderers’ former home, which has been immortalised in paintings inspired by Mr Town’s childhood fascination with the sport.

Paul Town said: “My love for football, and in particular my love for football grounds, began as a young child.

“The bus journey to my grandparents’ home would take me past the decaying ground of the then-defunct football club Bradford (Park Avenue), and I would hastily wipe the condensation from the bus window to get a clearer view of the wonderful floodlights rising above the rooftops of the local houses.

“As a child, I’d spend hours creating drawings that were all inspired by football grounds”.

The book, published by Heritage Unlocked, includes a foreword by sports commentator John Helm and explores stadiums across the UK and beyond, from Hampden Park and Highbury to Wembley and more.

Burnden Park holds a special place in Mr Town’s work.

He said: “The artwork of Burnden Park featured in the book shows John McGinlay en route to scoring a hat-trick in a famous 6-1 win for the Trotters over Spurs in the 1996/97 season – the club’s last season at the famous old ground steeped in history.”

Mr Town’s connection to football is deeply personal.

He was present at the Bradford City fire in 1985 that claimed 56 lives and led to major changes in stadium safety across the UK.

His work has been exhibited nationwide, including at Hampden Park in Scotland as part of his ‘Hampden Trilogy’ series, and is also on display at football grounds across the country.

Mr Town’s art has been reproduced in several books.

The Man Who Paints Football is priced at £19.99 and is available from bookshops, galleries, online retailers, and directly from the publisher at www.heritageunlocked.com/shop/themanwhopaintsfootball.

Firefighters were called to the scene in Fenton Lane, Sherburn in Elmet, near Selby, shortly after 6.30pm on Saturday (April 11).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crews extinguished the fire using breathing apparatus and hose reels.

“The cause of the fire is suspected to be deliberate,” a service spokesperson.

Later on Saturday, firefighters were called to a fire in the open near a residential area of Sherburn in Elmet.

They used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire in Eversley Garth Crescent.

The callouts come after North Yorkshire Police said it was working with the fire service following a spate of arsons around Sherburn in Elmet.

A force spokesperson said it followed officers responding to several reports of small fires being set around the town on Friday evening.

They said on Saturday that North Yorkshire Police had worked with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to “locate and extinguish the fires quickly, while also making efforts to identify the individuals responsible”.

The police spokesperson urged parents and carers to “please speak with their children about the dangers and consequences of this behaviour”.

“Setting fires, even small ones, poses significant risk to people, property, and the wider community,” they said. “It also diverts emergency services away from other priority incidents, where someone may urgently need our help.”

The spokesperson said North Yorkshire Police would be increasing patrols in the “affected areas over the coming days to provide reassurance and to deter any further incidents”.

They asked anyone with information about the fires to report it to police on 101.

Firefighters and an ariel ladder platform were on the scene at the Talbot hotel in Yorkersgate, Malton, shortly before 1.20pm on Sunday (April 12).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said its two crews extinguished the fire which was confined to the chimney flute.

A service spokesperson said: “A crew from Malton and an ariel ladder platform from Scarborough responded to a chimney fire.

“The fire was confined to the chimney flue and the ariel ladder platform and chimney nozzle adapter were used to extinguish the fire.”

Philip Lee Owen, 41, of Diggle Street, Wigan, faces multiple charges.

These include three counts of false imprisonment, threats to kill, two counts of child neglect, aggravated burglary and sending a communication threatening death or serious harm.

Greater Manchester Police said officers were called to reports of a disturbance at a house on Dicconson Lane at around 2am on Friday (April 10).

On Friday, Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said: “Following this challenging incident, I can confirm the individual has been detained by our officers, and those involved have been safely secured and protected.

“I want to commend the bravery and professionalism of our officers and thank the public for their patience and cooperation while we worked to bring this situation to a safe conclusion.”

Owen has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court on Monday (April 13).

Large parts of the street were locked down for several hours following the incident, which also included the attendance of armed police.

Residents were not allowed to leave their homes as around 17 police vehicles – including armed police – took over the street.

Dicconson Lane connects Westhoughton and Blackrod to Aspull and Wigan.

A police car with two officers inside remained parked outside the house in question for much of Friday.