Donald Trump has panned a new film about his rise in real estate in 1970s and ’80s, calling it a “politically disgusting hatchet job.”
The film, which is now playing in theatres, is billed as the origin story for the former president (played by Sebastian Stan) as it follows his early years and the tutelage Trump received from the ruthless lawyer Roy Cohn (played by Succession’s Jeremy Strong) early in his career.
After its Cannes debut, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the film “pure fiction.”
Following its lacklustre debut at the box office (the film opened in 10th place, managing a paltry $1.6 million in ticket sales), Trump hit at the biopic in a lengthy rant posted to his Truth Social platform.
“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,’” Trump wrote. “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!’”
Trump went on to rail against the depiction of his first wife, the late Ivana Trump, who is played in the movie by Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova.
“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,” Trump 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. MAGA2024!”
When the film’s director Iranian Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi heard about Trump’s reaction, he shared his response to X, writing: “Thanks for getting back to us, Donald Trump. I am available to talk further if you want. Today is a tight day with a lot of press for ‘The Apprentice,’ but I might be able to give you a call tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Trump called on his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris to take a cognitive test after she took aim at him for his refusal to release his own detailed medical records.
“I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility,” Trump posted on Truth Social, He also claimed that “her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her.”
“She is slow and lethargic in answering even the easiest of questions,” Trump wrote. “We just went through almost four years of that, we shouldn’t have to do it again!”
And on Saturday, the New York Times reported that he called Harris “retarded” during a donor dinner last month.
Trump also “complained about the number of Jews still backing Ms. Harris, saying they needed their heads examined for not supporting him despite everything he had done for the state of Israel.”
His latest attacks come after Harris called Trump “weak and unstable.”
“It makes you wonder: Why does his staff want him to hide away?” Harris asked a crowd of supporters in Greenville, N.C. on Sunday. “One must question: Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America?”