In early 2005, Donald Trump explained to radio host Howard Stern that he had considered hosting a version of his show The Apprentice pitting black contestants vs. white ones.

Trump thought the concept, which BuzzFeed News reported Thursday Trump pushed the idea on his syndicated radio show, would be the highest rated show on television.

"On The Apprentice there was a concept, okay, thrown out by some person, nine blacks against nine whites," said Trump. "And it would be nine blacks against nine whites, all highly educated, very smart, strong, beautiful. Do you like it? Do you like it, Robin?"

"I think you're gonna have a riot," Stern co-host Robin Quivers said, after Stern said he liked the idea.

"It would be the highest-rated show on television," interjected Trump.

Stern went on to ask Trump a series of questions.

"Very dark blacks, or light-skinned blacks?" Stern asked.

"Assortment," Trump responded, "against whites."

When a laughing Quivers asked how many blondes, Trump added he wanted all nine whites to be blonde.

"This was a thought that was given to us, and I don't think NBC is thrilled with the idea, with the concept," says Trump.

"Wouldn't that set off a racial war?" asks Stern.

"Actually, I don't think it would," responded Trump. "I think it would be handled very beautifully by me. Because, as you know, I'm very diplomatic... Also, I think you'd have 35 million people a night watching."

Stern said that on some level the idea was wrong, but he'd watch it. "You'd have to, because you want to know when the riots start," Quivers said.

"There's something wrong with it, but I don't know, maybe we should think about it," Trump said.