Donald Trump Rails About ‘The Apprentice’ Movie; Director Ali Abbasi Tells Ex-POTUS, “I’m Available To Talk Further If You Want”
In middle-of-the-night Truth Social post, Donald Trump weighed in the movie The Apprentice, unsurprisingly calling it a “cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting hatchet job.”
Back in May, Trump had threatened to sue over the movie, with his attorneys filing a cease and desist demand. That may have delayed the ability of the producers to obtain a distributor, but once they did, Trump and his team have yet to file any litigation.
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The Apprentice tells of the early days of Trump in 1970s and ’80s Manhattan, where Roy Cohn teaches his “apprentice” how to fight back against a federal lawsuit alleging that Trump and his father engaged in discrimination against Black applicants seeking to rent housing from them.
The most objectionable scene appears to be one where Trump (Sebastian Stan) sexually assaults his then-wife Ivana. The scene is based on one of Ivana Trump’s depositions, which she later said was made during a period of “high tension” during their divorce proceedings and “totally without merit.”
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The Apprentice opened to a lackluster $1.58 million at the box office over the weekend.
One of the figures portrayed in the movie — Roger Stone, a longtime Trump ally who helped steer him to a career in politics — actually praised the portrayals.
Director Ali Abbasi responded, Thanks for getting back to us @realDonaldTrump . I am available to talk further if you want. Today is a tight day w a lot of press for #TheApprentice but i might be able to give you a call tomorrow.”
Trump’s full Truth Social post:
“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 try and hurt the Greatest Political Movement in the History of our Country, ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ My former wife, Ivana, was a kind and wonderful person, and I had a great relationship with her until the day she died. The writer of this pile of garbage, Gabe Sherman, a lowlife and talentless hack, who has long been widely discredited, knew that, but chose to ignore it. So sad that HUMAN SCUM, like the people involved in this hopefully unsuccessful enterprise, are allowed to say and do whatever they want in order to hurt a Political Movement, which is far bigger than any of us. MAGA2024!”
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