Former President Donald Trump has publicly condemned the biopic The Apprentice, calling it “FAKE and CLASSLESS” in a scathing post on Truth Social early Monday. The film, which premiered recently in New York, stars Sebastian Stan as a younger Trump and Jeremy Strong, best known from Succession, as Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Roy Cohn.
Trump Slams New Biopic on Truth Social
In his late-night post, Trump took issue with the filmmakers’ use of the title The Apprentice, questioning whether they had the legal right to name it after the reality TV show he hosted. He also labeled the production as defamatory, accusing it of being a political hit piece aimed at undermining his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump’s post read: “A FAKE and CLASSLESS Movie written about me, called The Apprentice (Do they even have the right to use that name without approval?), will hopefully bomb. It’s a cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job, put out right before the 2024 Presidential Election to hurt the Greatest Political Movement in the History of our Country, ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’”
Focus on Defamation and Ivana Trump’s Allegation
One particular point of contention in Trump’s post was the mention of his late first wife, Ivana Trump. This appears to reference a controversial scene in the movie based on an old divorce deposition, in which Ivana accused Trump of sexual assault, a claim she later retracted. Trump implied that any future defamation lawsuit could center on this scene, which revives a decades-old allegation.
The film’s writer, Gabe Sherman, who has been a long-time critic of Trump, was also a target of the former president’s ire. Trump described Sherman as “widely discredited,” accusing him of ignoring facts about the relationship Trump had with Ivana until her death. Trump’s harsh remarks about the film’s creators went as far as to call them “human scum.”
Sherman, for his part, has defended the film, explaining that it had been in development for several years and that its release ahead of the 2024 election was coincidental. In a recent interview, he stated, “It’s not a hit job,” dismissing Trump’s claims of defamation. Actor Jeremy Strong, who plays Roy Cohn in the film, also supported the controversial Ivana scene, emphasizing that it was based on the “historical record” and a sworn deposition.
Filmmakers Unfazed by Threats of Legal Action
This is not the first time Trump has threatened legal action over The Apprentice. After the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Trump’s campaign issued a statement accusing the filmmakers of “pure malicious defamation” and “blatantly false assertions.” Despite these threats, the film’s director, Ali Abbasi, remained unshaken. He dismissed the potential lawsuit, pointing out Trump’s frequent use of litigation and his low success rate in court.
Abbasi publicly stated that fear of litigation did not deter him from moving forward with the film, even though some potential backers were scared off. “Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people. They don’t talk about his success rate, though,” Abbasi remarked.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, The Apprentice biopic is set to remain a point of controversy, with Trump continuing to decry it as a politically motivated smear. However, the filmmakers seem undeterred by Trump’s criticism and potential lawsuits, standing by their work and its portrayal of historical events.
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