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.
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”.
Trump wrote, “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!’”
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.
Trump’s full post is below: