‘The Apprentice’ is a hit job on Donald Trump. But will it work?

The Apprentice    
Directed by Ali Abbasi. Starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan. 123 minutes.

In American politics, an October surprise is an event or revelation that emerges just before an election, often with the potential to influence its outcome significantly. They capitalise on the heightened political engagement and media attention as voters prepare to head to the polls in November. They take various forms, such as scandals, foreign policy issues, or economic developments, and their impact is largely determined by timing and coverage.

The Access Hollywood tape was the October surprise of the 2016 election, revealing a 2005 recording of Donald Trump making offensive remarks about women. This sparked widespread media coverage and public outrage, challenging Trump’s campaign by intensifying scrutiny of his character. Despite predictions of potential electoral disaster, Trump maintained strong support by shifting focus to other issues.

This time around, Trump's opponents are trying a similar tactic. With only a few weeks left before election day, The Apprentice has been released. The film tells the story of how a young Donald Trump was brought under the wing of Roy Cohn, a shady character in the 1970s New York political scene. The film is not exactly an October surprise, given that no new revelations are provided, but it is obviously meant to blacken Trump's name. 

 

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The Iranian-Danish director, Ali Abbasi, has based the film on salacious rumours that may or may not be true, although they have circulated for quite some time. But even if no surprises are unveiled, the timing and tone of the film suggest that it is a hit job, clearly intended to dissuade scandalised viewers from voting for Trump.

This is not to say that it is a bad film. Cohn’s Machiavellianism as portrayed in the film defies credibility, but most accounts do attest to the man’s ruthlessness. His three rules – (1) attack, attack, attack; (2) admit nothing and deny everything; (3) no matter what happens, claim victory and never admit defeat – give Trump an edge in the world of real estate and ultimately, in politics.

Like Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Donald is at first a noble man, quite hesitant to engage in the deeply immoral —and illegal— deeds of his mentor. But as with the Corleone family, it is impossible to resist the pull of the milieu, and ultimately, Donald plays along with the tactics of making people offers they can’t refuse.

Cinematographically, the film is accomplished. But as with TV advertisements, its ultimate goal is not to be artistic, but to sell a product. In that respect, The Apprentice will fail. It will not persuade anybody not to vote for Trump.

The producers of the film have failed to understand the MAGA world. They seem to think that people vote for Trump because they like him. Consequently, they assume that portraying him as a borderline mafioso will hurt him in the polls. The truth is different. People who vote for Trump are not thrilled by his moral character. In fact, most of them probably do not like him at all. He is simply a proxy for spiting a system they detest even more.

That system is many things at once. It is a world of gung-ho identity politics, one in which a presidential candidate is nominated by her party largely on account of her race and gender. It is a world of corporate media mocking one conspiracy theory (Trump did not lose the 2020 election) but pushing another one (Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election). It is a world of prosecutors weaponising the justice system to try to stop a political figure they fear.

Donald Trump may ultimately be behind bars, but as one infamous T-shirt slogan proclaims, “I’m voting for the felon.” Folks who proudly wear a MAGA hat will eagerly cast their votes for The Felon, as he embodies the polarising figure everyone loves to hate, yet boldly challenges the established order.

It is often reported that many of Trump’s supporters describe him as a modern-day Cyrus. As per the Biblical account, Cyrus was the Persian king who allowed Israelites to return to their land. Under this interpretation, very much as Cyrus, Trump is an unlikely vessel for God’s plans.

However, I would suggest that the MAGA supporters view Trump in a manner similar to how the Israelites of ancient times perceived the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. While Cyrus was an enlightened ruler, Nebuchadnezzar was vicious and brutal. Israelites could have nothing but contempt for him. Nevertheless, the prophet Jeremiah presented him as “God’s servant” (Jeremiah 25:9) because he would serve God’s purpose in punishing Israel’s many sins. Half of Americans have aligned themselves with a vicious man, precisely because he represents the hope of disrupting a declining empire that must awaken from an unrealistic, politically-correct daydream.

If Trump wins the election, most likely the Republican candidate in the next election will be J.D. Vance. If Hollywood producers wish to sway voters towards the Democrats in 2028, they should not fabricate another hit job. Instead, they should target the decadence of the system. Only then will blue-collar Republicans believe that the liberal media does understand their plight, and consequently, will not be mesmerised by right-wing demagogues.  


Will you be watching ‘The Apprentice’?   


Gabriel Andrade is a university professor originally from Venezuela. He writes about politics, philosophy, history, religion, and psychology.

Image credit: ‘The Apprentice’ website   


 

Showing 22 reactions

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  • Jürgen Siemer
    commented 2024-10-28 17:50:05 +1100
    Dear David Young, I am still regularly looking at the mortality data, and there is still a modest excess mortality, that is difficult to explain.

    In my personal circle I know three people, who have been fighting with serious problems caused by blood clots, years after vaccinations.

    Of course, I do not have the evidence that the excess mortality and the blood clots are a direct result of the vaccines.

    On the other side, the problems have been predicted or at least the population has been warned about these risks by a few anti-vax researchers. The risk that they have been pointing to was that the body could produce spike Proteins much longer and release these toxic little fighters into the blood stream. The mechanism that spike Proteins can cause blood clots is well understood and documented.

    And then, it is well documented that Bill Gates thought that the world population was much to big, and that a lot less people should live on earth.

    Mr Gates supported the global vaccination program financially.

    So, 1+1= ???

    I do not know, but what I know is, that we should not trust Mr Gates blindly.
  • David Page
    commented 2024-10-27 01:20:06 +1100
    David Young, I lost 5 friends in two weeks from COVID. Do you think they faked their deaths?
  • David Young
    commented 2024-10-26 01:40:38 +1100
    I’m not an American and I’m not a supporter of either trump or Harris. They both seem to have more deficiencies than strengths. I am just an African living in an African failed state which is a failed state because of ongoing corruption and shocking leadership, much worse than anything Trump or Harris could deliver. From this distance I do wonder from time to time if the COVID pandemic which we now know was mostly a hoax was not engineered by the establishment to get rid of Trump in his first term and then be able to blame him for ‘millions of deaths’. Whatever else it was superbly timed. From what I have seen Trump, clearly in ‘I don’t have a clue’ land, largely deferred to the advice provided by Fauci. And we all know what Fauci’s involvement in this destruction of so many people’s lives has led to all over the world.
  • mrscracker
    A great many folks (like me) have already voted early & it’s unlikely a film like this will have any effect on voters still on the fence. Everyone by now knows all about both the Democrat & GOP candidates’ personal affairs. Unless it’s a virtue signaling contest, we really shouldn’t be concerned.
    Politicians have histories. It’s their own business. If their personal behaviors don’t render them ineligible to hold office it really doesn’t signify. If the rubbish collector does his job in a timely way why would I be worried about his home life or personal affairs? Politicians are no different. They’re simply public servants holding office at our will. Cast your vote & move forward.
  • Jürgen Siemer
    commented 2024-10-26 01:24:06 +1100
    Anon, again your usual approach of attacking Trump ad hominem.

    Was the US response really that much difference to other countries? I doubt that. Some countries were stricter than the US, like Australia, others were more relaxed, like e.g. Sweden.

    Differences in mortality between these countries point to probably the opposite of what you expect. I was the covid-reporter in my office, so I checked the data during the pandemic regularly

    Again, my criticism to Trump is probably the opposite to yours. I think it was a big mistake of Trump to trust Fauci. Trump should instead have followed his personal instinct.

    I, for instance, am not vaccinated and did not allow my wife and children to get vaccinated. We all got infected and recovered quickly. I assume, that we now have the best immune systems, naturally trained ones not impaired, in the neighborhood. Just these days, we have in the neighborhood many new covid infections, and most neighbors are vaccinated a few times. We, on the other side, are all still healthy. Maybe that has something to do with our “status”. I knock on wood.

    But the Pandemic is history.

    What I find relevant for our blog is the following conclusion / advice: do not blindly trust science. Do not forget that many scientists are corrupted or biased by money….
  • Anon Emouse
    commented 2024-10-26 00:57:23 +1100
    I could point out to Trump closing the pandemic preparedness office in 2018 that Obama created in the wake of Ebola (an “outbreak” in the US that he was excoriated by Trump, repeatedly) and then the subsequent horrible response Trump oversaw during Covid. It was worse in the US than other counties specifically because of Trump. (Leave it up to the states, then “liberate Michigan”?) directly contradicting his strategy, because he’s the type of person who wants all of the credit but none of the blame. He has the maturity of a child, which is not a quality I want in a president, full stop.
  • Jürgen Siemer
    commented 2024-10-26 00:20:16 +1100
    Anon, and so?

    The differences between the Trump and the Biden administrations are not significant as you can see in the numbers I provided. Trump could defend his record by pointing to the last year of his administration, when he tried to cover the covid-caused losses by a huge increase in debt. Biden may argue the same plus referring to Ukraine.

    What is clear and obvious: the accumulation of debt has to stop, it should have stopped yesterday.

    Dear Americans, first stop wasting your resources abroad by sending weapons and soldiers to foreign countries, most of you even do not find on the map. Cut government beaurocracy, close all the spy agencies and close the many useless universities, where your children study useless stuff like woke social sciences. Do not burden your children with student loans! If you want to spend, spend on roads, bridges, etc., which would create employment at home and reduce transport cost in the private sector.

    But even after some infrastructure investments included, total spending and new debt accumulation has to be reduced!
  • Anon Emouse
    commented 2024-10-25 23:03:56 +1100
    Jurgen, most presidents (except Clinton) have added to the debt. Data shows Democratic presidents add less to the debt than Republican presidents.
  • Jürgen Siemer
    commented 2024-10-25 22:43:54 +1100
    Emberson, here are some data on the outstanding total us treasury public debt (Source Bloomberg):

    End of Q1/2017: 19.85 trillion USD
    End of Q1/2020: 23.69 trillion USD
    End of Q1/2021: 28.13 trillion USD
    End of Q1/2024: 34
    59 trillion USD
    October, 23rd 2024: 35.78 trillion USD.
  • mrscracker
    I believe Mr.Jurgen that the Trump Derangement Syndrome exists in part because Mr. Trump is a disrupter and not a member of the Establishment. He had been in the Hollywood and mainline media circles but then he mutinied. The establishment GOP have no use for him either because he exposed their fecklessness.
    If both sides of the Establishment have their knives out , he must be doing something right. And it sounds like Iran wants him gone, too.
  • mrscracker
    Good morning Mr. Fedders. There was a very lengthy list of accomplishments for President Trump’s administration but I didn’t want to copy and paste the entirety. That’s available at whitehouse.gov
    As others have noted, it’s not just what a leader does but what they don’t do that’s important. Like entering us into endless wars.
    I voted for the administration that will do the least harm to my family and the culture. Even if that’s just being left alone in peace for the next 4 years.
  • Anon Emouse
    commented 2024-10-25 22:16:10 +1100
    Biden’s actually reduced the deficit. Every democratic president has reduced the defection (since Nixon) and every Republican has increased the deficit. So, as a Catholic, the exploding debt seems to explode more under Republican presidents than Democratic presidents.
  • Jürgen Siemer
    commented 2024-10-25 21:18:07 +1100
    Emberson, the issue of Mr Andrade’s article is actually not Trump or Harris for President, but rather why Hollywood would produce a movie clearly intended to influence the election, in spite of the risk of losing half the potential viewers.

    But you always prefer to discuss Trump, Trump, Trump.

    With regard to the US economy: I have a different opinion. The various acts you listed are just schemes to pay subsidies to large corporations, which as an economist, I do not like. In the end, the subsidies end mostly in the bank accounts of the shareholders, the rich guys.

    The exploding debt is, from a catholic and from the point of view of this blog, a serious issue. It brings the US closer to bancruptcy, shifts the financial burdens to children and grandchildren, and may lead to another wave of money printing. Excessive debt and moneyprinting are immoral, very immoral and unjust. It is usually in times of debt and moneyprinting when the middle classes fall into poverty, first slowly then suddenly, the poor remain poor, and a few get richer and richer.

    Would be happy if Mercatornet publishes an article on this issue.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-10-25 18:16:43 +1100
    Mr Siemer, you regularly accuse people of being angry but I have to say that comments around here just don’t reflect that. I think you mistake ‘angry’ with ‘disagreement’.

    Ok, when Trump left office, the economy was in a mess. Biden has spent four years repairing it. There is no recession just around the corner for America, indeed, the US economy is performing better than most in the world. Inflation is down. Employment is up.

    What did Democrats do better? They passed the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. ALL were opposed by Republicans.

    Trump added massively to the American debt by massive tax cuts to the wealthiest people in the country. There was NO advantage to the American people in doing so.

    The only reason the insurrectionists had reason to doubt the results of the election is that they had continually been told that there was reason to doubt it – by Trump himself! Of course, he still has not produced a shred of evidence that anything was wrong with the election.

    I don’t live in the US either, which is why it is easy for me to see how little Trump is respected in the real world outside of Fox News and OANN.

    This line that no wars started under Trump is true, but not because Trump was in power. It’s a laughable assertion. You really think Putin fears Trump so much that he waited until he was out of office before launching his attack on Ukraine?

    One thing I do believe about Trump is that he probably will end the Ukraine War. By completely and utterly caving to Putin and throwing Ukraine under the bus.

    See, not angry. Just respectful disagreement.
  • Jürgen Siemer
    commented 2024-10-25 16:36:54 +1100
    I am not living in the US, which perhaps is a reason why I have difficulties understanding the anti-Trumpers on this blog, which should be a place to focus on issues of life, truth and religion and only secondarily a place to discuss daily politics, and only insofar as our focus issues are affected or are violated by politics.

    Trump has already been president, and from the distance, we foreigners just have to concede that he did not start another war and that the US economy, which is and should be an important export market for the rest of the world, was doing well.

    So what is your problem, what causes your emotions? That he often talks like a construction worker? Well, you often do, too. That he regularly over-promises? Well, is that not American marketing? That he went through several bancruptcies but came back? Well, is America not the country of second chances, are those guys not your heroes? That he organized a resurrection on Jan 6? Come on, that is BS, Jan 6, was an almost accidental demonstration of people who had good reasons to doubt the results of the election, and the doors to the house were open or opened by somebody, and is the house of the people not the house of the people? Clearly, a resurrection looks different. If you do not believe me, ask a French.

    And look at the US now, after 4 years of Biden: the country is in bad shape, the debt is exploding, wars in Ukraine and Israel, maybe soon around Taiwan, all with direct or indirect US participation and provocation. And a big and deep recession is probably around the corner. But your government, and sadly ours have followed, try to re-educate you and us about what is a man and a woman. For the rest of the world not addicted to US media (so only 50% of the rest) this is clearly a sign of insanity, of a mental problem. We do not care, but please stop abusing your power by trying to re-educate us!

    I do have my criticism of Trump as well, as I have criticism for all or almost all politicians.

    So why are you so angry? Can you give me a good factual reason, not some ad hominem attack that he, eg, is not honest or a fascist or a clown? Something in his politics, something he actually did, and then please explain, why a Democrat would do it better.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-10-25 11:45:06 +1100
    So, all Trump did was stuff to do with abortion and small changes for people who believe in various deities. I suppose if you are a single-issue voter, then yes, he did accomplish things.

    However, effectively combating covid, expanding access to healthcare, providing for children who live in poverty, looking after the environment, reducing housing costs?

    Well, who cares about that.

    He did incite a mob to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after losing the election, I suppose. Apparently, some people think that’s a good thing.
  • mrscracker
    I’ve already voted but I’m a bit weary of hearing what Donald Trump did not accomplish in office last time. Sure, we may be disappointed this next time around if he’s elected , who knows, but this is what happened in his first term. Fingers crossed, we will see more good accomplished by him in the future:

    “Reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, ensuring that taxpayer money is not used to fund abortion globally.
    Issued a rule preventing Title X taxpayer funding from subsiding the abortion industry.
    Supported legislation to end late-term abortions.
    Cut all funding to the United Nations population fund due to the fund’s support for coercive abortion and forced sterilization.
    Signed legislation overturning the previous administration’s regulation that prohibited states from defunding abortion facilities as part of their family planning programs.
    Fully enforced the requirement that taxpayer dollars do not support abortion coverage in Obamacare exchange plans.
    Stopped the Federal funding of fetal tissue research.
    Worked to protect healthcare entities and individuals’ conscience rights – ensuring that no medical professional is forced to participate in an abortion in violation of their beliefs.
    Issued an executive order reinforcing requirement that all hospitals in the United States provide medical treatment or an emergency transfer for infants who are in need of emergency medical care—regardless of prematurity or disability.
    Led a coalition of countries to sign the Geneva Consensus Declaration, declaring that there is no international right to abortion and committing to protecting women’s health.
    First president in history to attend the March for Life.
    Stood up for religious liberty in the United States and around the world.

    Protected the conscience rights of doctors, nurses, teachers, and groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor.
    First president to convene a meeting at the United Nations to end religious persecution.
    Established the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
    Stopped the Johnson Amendment from interfering with pastors’ right to speak their minds.
    Reversed the previous administration’s policy that prevented the government from providing disaster relief to religious organizations.
    Protected faith-based adoption and foster care providers, ensuring they can continue to serve their communities while following the teachings of their faith.
    Reduced burdensome barriers to ensure Native Americans are free to keep spiritually and culturally significant eagle feathers found on their tribal lands.
    Took action to ensure Federal employees can take paid time off work to observe religious holy days.
    Signed legislation to assist religious and ethnic groups targeted by ISIS for mass murder and genocide in Syria and Iraq.
    Directed American assistance toward persecuted communities, including through faith-based programs.
    Launched the International Religious Freedom Alliance – the first-ever alliance devoted to confronting religious persecution around the world.
    Appointed a Special Envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism.
    Imposed restrictions on certain Chinese officials, internal security units, and companies for their complicity in the persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
    Issued an executive order to protect and promote religious freedom around the world."
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-10-24 17:37:46 +1100
    Indeed, admitting defeat is kind of a hallmark of a functioning democracy.
  • Anon Emouse
    commented 2024-10-24 13:37:27 +1100
    Also, after organizing the January 6 insurrection, it’s hilarious that you cite the rule of “never admit defeat”. I feel like that’s a poor quality in a politician, because it leads them to do things like threaten the peaceful transition of power. Tell me, Gabriel, why do you believe this to be a positive quality in a politician, when it led to so much violence?
  • Anon Emouse
    commented 2024-10-24 13:34:54 +1100
    Did they cover the part where he and his dad got sued by the justice department because they (allegedly) refused to rent to black tenants in the 1970s?
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-10-24 13:09:16 +1100
    I can never work out of it’s hilarious or sad that MAGA thinks Trump will challenge the established order. The only real legislative success he had was cutting his own taxes and the taxes of other millionaires and billionaires.

    I can also never work out of it’s hilarious or sad that evangelicals think Trump is their new leader when he so clearly doesn’t have a Christian bone in his body.

    I can ALSO never work out if it’s hilarious or sad that the poorest people from the poorest states see a New York billionaire as someone who actually cares about them, or their lives, in the slightest.

    And finally, I can never work out if it’s hilarious or sad that so many conservative commentators have been forced, through cast-iron ideology, to write screes about a man who so clearly doesn’t represent them or their beliefs.

    It must be exhausting.
  • Gabriel Andrade
    published this page in The Latest 2024-10-24 11:03:40 +1100