Washington (CNN) Asked Thursday why he decided -- seemingly out of the blue -- to pardon conservative author Dinesh D'Souza, President Donald Trump said this (bolding is mine):

"Only because, only because of I felt from I don't know him, I never met him. I called him last night, first time I've ever spoken to him. I said I'm pardoning you. Nobody asked me to do it."

"I've always felt he was very unfairly treated. And a lot of people did, a lot of people did. What should have been a quick minor fine, like everybody else with the election stuff....what they did to him was horrible."

"I always felt that he was ... I didn't know him. I read the papers. I see him on television."

That's a reminder -- not that we should need one -- of a) how much TV Trump actually watches and b) how much TV forms his views on, well, everything.

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