If Donald Trump is to be believed, The Apprentice is a “cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting hatchet job” made by “HUMAN SCUM”. I disagree. The film, about his rise to power as a property magnate in New York, shows why he is such a formidable operator. Trump has suffered many near-death experiences during his career but has always remained a contender.
Posting at 1am on Truth Social, Trump predicted the film would “hopefully bomb”. Half of him is vain enough to think it won’t. But whipped up by his wrath, Republicans hate the very idea of the movie, while Democrats feel Trump is already living rent-free in their heads without paying for an extra two hours in his company. However, the film is worth seeing for the brilliant, serpentine performance by Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy in Succession) as his mentor, Roy Cohn, and Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of the young Trump as a darkly magnetic, unstoppable force.
