Donald Trump says he learned people could get away with abhorrent behavior as long as they had good ratings like he did on "The Apprentice" ... according to a bombshell book.
The ex-prez made the claims during an interview with Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh for, "Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass" which dropped Tuesday.
We've already told you a little about the new book ... but, just as a refresher, DJT sat for several interviews with Setoodeh and, the portrayal of 45 as a lonely, occasionally dotty man ex-TV star isn't flattering.
In any case ... Setoodeh says Trump reflected on his big takeaway from "The Apprentice" by saying, "It’s all about one thing: ratings. If you have ratings, you can be the meanest, most horrible human being in the world."
A pretty cynical view of Hollywood ... but, it sorta sums up "The Apprentice" in a nutshell -- which many watched just to see who Trump would fire week to week.
Plus, Trump's made similar claims with similar sentiment before -- remember, he once said women would let men "grab 'em by the p***y" so long as they're famous.
Donald's team isn't denying his comments in the book -- though they have said Trump barely remembers interacting with him and claimed he's a "loser" too focused on the Republican nominee.
Trump's 'Apprentice' comments are pretty tame when compared with other quotes in the book ... including a part where he called Taylor Swift "unusually beautiful"-- totally objectifying her.
Like we said, the book's out now ... and, we'll have to see if its good ratings have any effect on the Donald.