Trump and Regis Philbin were friends, so it makes sense that Trump would mark his passing. What doesn’t make sense is Trump claiming that Regis ENCOURAGED him to run for President.
Click here to see Regis diplomatically discuss Trump’s bid for President.
In 2016, Regis Philbin revealed that he was SURPRISED to learn that Trump was running for President. When asked directly about what he thought about Trump’s bid for President, Regis was mildly supportive in the most diplomatic way.
“I think that he’ll be on fire if he becomes president,” he said. “It might be the best thing that ever happened … for him and maybe for the country. We’ll all find out together.”
Regis Philbin

The charismatic Regis Philbin also offered a bit of a warning.
“I wish he would calm down a little bit, but I’m not going to get involved,”
Regis Philbin
We don’t think that Regis was as enthusiastic about a Trump Presidency as Trump would have everyone believe.