Veteran newsman Dan Rather says Donald Trump could be headed to the White House.
"I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility he gets elected," Rather, former "60 Minutes" correspondent and "CBS Evening News" anchor, told
The Hollywood Reporter.
"I said in the beginning he's not going to go away quickly. He isn't going to be the shooting star that goes away.
"Because whatever else you think of Donald Trump, he is smart, he's very television smart. Donald Trump certainly has a good shot at the nomination."
But Rather believes Trump must provide many more details on his ambitious policies.
The principle question for Trump is, how is he going to handle foreign policy? Because he doesn't have great experience in foreign policy," he said.
"So I think the key question is give me the names of specific people that you will call upon for foreign policy."
As well, Rather said, he needs to expand on his idea of ridding the United States of all illegal immigrants.
"He wants to send all of them back to Mexico and other places … but how specifically does he intend to do that? With 10, 12 million people, how's he going to find them?"
Rather said one part of Trump's popularity is his financial independence.
"He can point to most other people on the platform and say, 'these guys are getting big money from people who want things out of government,'" he said. "Trump can say 'I'm spending my own money.' I think that's big part of his appeal."
Rather, who covered numerous presidential campaigns over his journalism career, believes the race now begins much too early.
"It lasts way too long, and it's far too expensive. This will be a $5 billion presidential campaign. And then the question of who gives that money, expecting to get what, never gets asked quite enough," he said.
Rather also told The Hollywood Reporter the televised debates are "what we used to call in Texas, chin flap. Chin flapping all the time. Nobody says anything and most things are scripted.
"I do think as the campaign goes along, when the candidates says something that is demonstrably untrue, there needs to be a journalist, who, with respect, points out the record and follows up. Not nearly enough of that."
Rather — author of
"Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News," written with Digby Diehl and published by Grand Central — is now managing editor and anchor of Dan Rather Reports on the cable network AXS TV.
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