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Los Angeles
Donald Trump is livid at his portrayal in the new film The Apprentice, and the director has responded to the Republican presidential candidate's rant, thanking him for helping in its publicity.
In a Truth Social post on Monday (Oct 13), Trump called the film a "fake and classless movie". He wondered if the makers had the right to use the name without approval, as The Apprentice was also the name of his reality show back in the day.
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Wishing that the film will 'hopefully bomb', the former US president called it 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!”
Disagreeing with the portrayal of his former wife in the film, he said 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," he added.
"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," Trump said.
The Apprentice: What is the film about?
The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi narrates the life of Trump as a New York real estate businessman mentored by Roy Cohn. Trump is portrayed by Sebastian Stan while Jeremy Strong of Succession fame plays Cohn. Maria Bakalova features as Ivana Trump.
Having premiered at the Cannes Festival this May, The Apprentice is now running in theatres. Ahead of its Cannes screening, the Trump campaign had even threatened to sue the film's makers, calling it 'pure fiction'.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers. This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked," said the campaign in a statement at the time, while calling the movie an "election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House."
What did the director say about Trump's reaction to The Apprentice?
In a chat with TMZ, director Ali Abbasi said Trump's rants are helping the film. "Thanks to him, we get better publicity and we get more people to come and watch it now. So, I'm grateful," he told the entertainment website.
Separately in a post on X, Abbasi wrote: “Thanks for getting back to us, Donald Trump. I am available to talk further if you want.”
The film, as Trump wished, is not a box office hit, having collected only $1.5 million in its opening weekend, according to reports.
(With inputs from agencies)