"The Donald Trump I Saw On 'The Apprentice'"

 

The former producer of the Malignant Loser's "The Apprentice" tv series, Bill Pruitt, now freed from his non-disclosure agreement (NDA), spills the beans on the racist fraudster in a behind- the- scenes look at how the show evolved and was run. This introduction kind of says it all:

... The Apprentice was an instant success in another way too. It elevated Donald J. Trump from sleazy New York tabloid hustler to respectable household name. In the show, he appeared to demonstrate impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth, even though his businesses had barely survived multiple bankruptcies and faced yet another when he was cast. By carefully misleading viewers about Trump—his wealth, his stature, his character, and his intent—the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations...

Pruit then takes us through multiple scenes and events demonstrating the Malignant Loser's casual racism (including being taped using the "n- word"), misogyny, deceitfulness, and general lack of character (calling him at one point "an avaricious hustler').  Here's one example

...Over at Trump National Golf Club, where I am stationed, it is sunny and bright, set against luscious fall colors. I am driven up to the golf club from Manhattan to scout. With me are the other producers, all of whom are men. We meet Trump at one of the homes he keeps for himself on the grounds of the club.

“Melania doesn’t even know about this place,” he says out loud to us, snickering, implying that the home’s function is as his personal lair for his sexual exploits, all of which are unknown to his then-fiancée Melania Knauss.

We are taken around the rest of the club’s property and told what to feature on camera and what to stay away from. The clubhouse is a particularly necessary inclusion, and it is inside these luxurious confines where I have the privilege of meeting the architect. Finding myself alone with him, I make a point of commending him for what I feel is a remarkable building. The place is genuinely spectacular. He thanks me.

“It’s bittersweet,” he tells me. “I’m very proud of this place, but …” He hesitates. “I wasn’t paid what was promised,” he says. I just listen. “Trump pays half upfront,” he says, “but he’ll stiff you for the rest once the project is completed.”

“He stiffed you?”

“If I tried to sue, the legal bills would be more than what I was owed. He knew that. He basically said Take what I’m offering,” and I see how heavy this is for the man, all these years later. “So, we sent the invoice. He didn’t even pay that,” he says. None of this will be in the show. Not Trump’s suggested infidelities, nor his aversion toward paying those who work for him...  (our emphasis)

Pruitt's experience in deceiving viewers into seeing the Malignant Loser as a successful, take charge businessman has understandably left him feeling haunted, though he says neither he nor the crew thought they were "involved in a con with malicious intent," but were merely putting on an entertainment where it was okay to play fast and loose with the facts.  (Of course, playing fast and loose with the facts comes naturally to the pathologically lying Malignant Loser.)  Seeing how this tv series set the stage for his rise in politics, while hiding the true facts of his character and competence, is worth the read if only to remind us of the truth of the Walter Scott adage:  "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!"

(Photo:  part of the Trump Crime Family on "The Apprentice" faux set / Douglas Gorenstein, NBC)