Former President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is planning to sue the filmmakers of "The Apprentice" for what it deems as "blatantly false assertions" after the controversial film premiered on Monday at the Cannes Film Festival.
Calling it "pure fiction, "Trump's campaign criticized the film, which follows the former president's early years in the real estate business.
"We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers," the Trump campaign's chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Variety on Monday.
"This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked. As with the illegal Biden Trials, this is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.
"This 'film' is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn't even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire."
"The Apprentice," directed by Ali Abbassi, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to a reportedly eight-minute standing ovation.
The film features Sebastian Stan portraying the young New York real estate developer Trump and Jeremy Strong of "Succession" fame as Trump's former attorney and mentor, Roy Cohn.
Following the premiere, reports emerged suggesting that the film portrayed Trump, his association with Cohn, and his marriage to Ivana Trump in a negative manner.
At Cannes premiere, Abassi said: "When we did this movie, everyone said, 'Why do you want to make a movie with Trump? You know, if you want to tell something about the world, do it in a nice way, in a metaphorical way.
"But, there is no nice, metaphorical way to deal with the rising wave of fascism. The messy way, the banal way, is only the way of dealing with this wave on its own terms, at its own level.
"It's not going to be pretty, but I think the problem with the world is that the good people have been quiet for too long."
A potential lawsuit from the Trump camp wouldn't be the first legal challenge against "The Apprentice."
Dan Snyder, the former owner of the Washington Commanders and an investor in the film, has also objected to its portrayal of the 45th president.
Sources suggest that Snyder, a friend of Trump's who made substantial donations to his inaugural committee and presidential campaigns, invested in the film through Kinematics with the belief that it would portray Trump favorably.
However, after screening the film in February, Kinematics' legal team has opposed its release.
