Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his campaign team have reacted strongly to the premiere of the biopic 'The Apprentice' at the Cannes Film Festival, with Trump vowing legal action against the filmmakers and calling it 'pure fiction'. The movie, which stars Sebastian Stan as a young Trump in the 1980s, includes scenes depicting Trump undergoing cosmetic procedures and allegations of sexual assault against his first wife Ivana. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, called the film 'garbage' and 'blatantly false', while Ivana herself disavowed her earlier claims of rape in her divorce deposition. The filmmakers, Ali Abbasi and Gabriel Sherman, have not yet responded to the threats of legal action. The controversy surrounding the movie has brought renewed attention to Trump's past business dealings and personal life, as well as his relationships with powerful figures like Roy Cohn.
The Apprentice is a biopic that follows Donald Trump's journey in the 1980s to establish himself as a real estate magnate. The film portrays him seeking mentorship from the wily lawyer Roy Cohn, who was known for his hard-ball tactics and investigations into suspected communists during the McCarthy era. The movie includes scenes depicting Trump undergoing liposuction and scalp procedures to address his love handles and baldness, respectively. However, it is the allegations of sexual assault against Ivana Trump that have caused the most controversy.
In one scene from the film, Ivana criticizes Trump's looks, leading him to sexually assault her in retaliation. These allegations were first made public during Ivana's divorce proceedings in 1990, but she later recanted them. However, they have resurfaced with the release of 'The Apprentice', and Trump's campaign has responded with threats of legal action against the filmmakers.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, called the film 'pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked'. He went on to accuse the Hollywood elites of election interference and claimed that Trump would retake the White House in 2024. The filmmakers have not yet responded to these threats.
The controversy surrounding 'The Apprentice' has brought renewed attention to Trump's past business dealings and personal life, as well as his relationships with powerful figures like Roy Cohn. It remains to be seen how the legal action threatened by Trump's campaign will impact the release of the film.