Trump attacks CBS chief

HOLLYWOOD — This is hardly breaking news, but Donald Trump is an obnoxious blowhard.

Don't take my word for it. Just watch NBC's "The Apprentice," which features Trump as himself — an egomaniac.

Still, it was a little bit weird when, during an NBC interview session, Trump launched an attack on CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves.

"If Les Moonves was a contestant on this show, he would have been fired by the third episode, I promise you," Trump blustered, at the same time avowing that, "Unlike most people, I like Les Moonves."

"I've worked with Les Moonves. I think Les Moonves is the most highly overrated person in television," Trump said. "That's just my opinion. I want to keep this noncontroversial today, folks."

It's more likely that he knew by saying something like that he was going to see his name in the paper a few more times. (Which, of course, means I've played right into his hands.)

In contrast to Trump's rampant egomania, Moonves played it cool, calling the whole thing "perplexing."

"The reason I'm perplexed is that I like Donald," Moonves said. "I really can't understand him doing it, but I'm going to take the high road and chalk up his behavior to having a very bad hair day."

Which, of course, got a big laugh from the critics. Just as Moonves intended (and, no doubt, rehearsed).

Trump's contention was that Moonves is a bad businessman and a bad TV executive. Of course, he didn't know his audience — he said that in a room full of critics who had seen Moonves take CBS from the bottom of the ratings to the top and from losing tons of money to making tons of money.

Trump pointed to the deal he made to rent space in one of his buildings to CBS's "Early Show." ("A show that gets no ratings," he said, although its ratings have risen considerably in the past year.)

"They paid me a fortune. I was very happy with that deal. It was a great deal. That was a Les Moonves deal," Trump said.

The major point of contention seems to be Trump's bitterness that CBS let the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants — which he owns — go to NBC. Or did it?

"I took Miss Universe away," Trump insisted. "I have the papers in my office where they sent me a legal document saying, 'We demand that this be kept at CBS.' "

He did not, however, produce those documents.

Moonves refused to rise to the bait, simply reiterating a statement the network had issued earlier. "As one of our spokesmen said, we're doing just fine without a (low)-rated show," he said. "I wish them well with that. We're fine without it."

Mark Burnett, who produces Trump's "Apprentice" and "Survivor" for Moonves and CBS, wouldn't predict who would win a "Survivor" contest between the two.