One of the biggest takeaways from former producer Bill Pruitt’s new tell-all about his experience working on “The Apprentice” is that Donald Trump, as we all suspected, really did use the N-word while filming the reality show that launched his yearslong campaign to make us all rue the day our parents met.
And, to be clear, that’s a damn big takeaway.
Pruitt’s nondisclosure agreement with the show expired this year, freeing him up to spill the tea on Trump in the digital pages of Slate. And as Pruitt recounts in his consistently eye-opening, occasionally eye-gouging essay, Trump had some very specific thoughts on race and how it pertained to one of the show’s contestants.
Forced to decide between two finalists—Kwame Jackson, who is Black, and Bill Rancic, who’s white—Trump eventually asked the burning question no one but the blathering Fred Trump homunculus in his head was asking:
“Yeah, but, I mean, would America buy a n—— winning?”
As gobsmacking and disgusting as that is, it’s not actually the biggest takeaway from Pruitt’s essay.
For one thing, no serious person has any remaining doubts about Trump’s deep-seated racism, so it’s largely old news. And Trump supporters love his racism, so the revelation is unlikely to move the needle much, if at all—even if Trump’s phalanx of perma-toadies somehow allow themselves to believe it.
What’s actually most striking about Pruitt’s piece is the extent to which the producers of “The Apprentice” were forced to fudge reality during the filming of their “reality” show, and the percentage of the production budget that was ostensibly spent on turd polish.
Pruitt’s summary of what they did is stark. It highlights the danger of myth-making in general, as well as the outright folly of propping up a lifelong punchline whom much of the public had already dismissed as a circus clown with slightly less gravitas and marginally more makeup:
[“The Apprentice”] 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.
Pruitt goes on at length about the smoke and mirrors the show employed to make Trump look competent and sane, and he doesn’t mince words. He confesses that “The Apprentice” was essentially a “long con played out over a decade of watching Trump dominate prime time by shouting orders, appearing to lead, and confidently firing some of the most capable people on television.” Pruitt stresses that the con wasn’t malicious (it was just a TV show, after all), but admits that “we played fast and loose with the facts, particularly regarding Trump, and if you were one of the 28 million who tuned in, chances are you were conned.”
Gee, ya think?
Pruitt gives several examples of the myth-making necessary to make their star appear more potent and palatable than he really was—Trump’s actual offices were “cramped” and shabbily appointed with chipped or peeling wood furniture, for example—but the following excerpt seems especially chilling given the kid-glove treatment much of the media continue to give the three-time chaos candidate:
If you listen carefully, especially to that first episode, you will notice clearly altered dialogue from Trump in both the task delivery and the boardroom. Trump was overwhelmed with remembering the contestants’ names, the way they would ride the elevator back upstairs or down to the street, the mechanics of what he needed to convey. Bienstock instigated additional dialogue recording that came late in the edit phase. We set Trump up in the soundproof boardroom set and fed him lines he would read into a microphone with Bienstock on the phone, directing from L.A. And suddenly Trump knows the names of every one of the contestants and says them while the camera cuts to each of their faces. Wow, you think, how does he remember everyone’s name? While on location, he could barely put a sentence together regarding how a task would work. Listen now, and he speaks directly to what needs to happen while the camera conveniently cuts away to the contestants, who are listening and nodding. He sounds articulate and concise through some editing sleight of hand.
Well, doesn’t that sound familiar? Indeed, it’s a bit too reminiscent of the American media’s infuriating tendency to cover for an oft-indicted insurrectionist and confirmed sexual assaulter who can’t speak for more than five minutes without saying something that’d make David Duke barf up a lung.
There are oh-so-many examples of this—and y’all probably have your own favorites—but the part where Pruitt talks about Trump sounding “articulate and concise through some editing sleight of hand” is particularly galling, given that the media continually circle like vultures waiting for President Joe Biden to stutter, fall off his bike, or put on a tan suit, while ignoring (or using “editing sleight of hand” to conceal) endless barmy bon mots from Trump.
This happens all the effing time, of course, but here’s just one example of the media eliding Trump’s unhingery while stuck in full “Biden is too senile and old” mode. It comes in the form of two succinct but telling tweets:
He confused Friday with Saturday? Really? (Actually, he confused Friday night with Saturday afternoon, but that’s just nitpicking, isn’t it?)
Meanwhile, here’s what The New York Times editorial page featured the day after Trump debuted his impression of a one-winged bumblebee trying to navigate its way out of a Coke bottle:
And … scene.
Then there was the time the press weirdly downplayed what should have been yet another disqualifying black mark for Trump: the discovery of still more classified documents at Mar-a-Lago months after the initial FBI search.
Daily Kos’ Mark Sumner had the story:
Trump’s legal team is currently attempting to have all of the evidence thrown out, claiming that the search was unconstitutional and “illegal.” Judge Aileen Cannon is set to hold a hearing on Wednesday on a defense motion to completely dismiss the charges against Trump.
How does The New York Times cover this—new evidence in what is arguably the biggest presidential scandal in history and a Trump-appointed judge holding the case in her hands—on its front page? It doesn’t.
The Times does have a story on the documents, but it’s hidden inside under the headline “Trump Lawyers Accuse Prosecutors of Misconduct in Documents Case.” Like the headline, the first paragraph of the story focuses on how federal prosecutors are fighting “allegations of misconduct and politicization in how the government handled the investigation that led to an indictment accusing Mr. Trump of illegally holding on to classified documents after he left office.”
And remember when the Times tried to explain why Biden’s age was a bigger problem than Trump’s, even though Trump is just four years younger than Biden?
Mr. Trump, by contrast, does not appear to be suffering the effects of time in such visible ways. Mr. Trump often dyes his hair and appears unnaturally tan. He is heavyset and tall, and he uses his physicality to project strength in front of crowds. When he takes the stage at rallies, he basks in adulation for several minutes, dancing to an opening song, and then holds forth in speeches replete with macho rhetoric and bombast that typically last well over an hour, a display of stamina.
Hmm, well if the Times likes that “display,” they should see him walk down a ramp! Meanwhile, the media is clearly well aware that Biden is an avid cyclist (unlike Trump, who thinks exercise is unhealthy), because they never miss a chance to report on his occasional spills.
Oh, and did you know Donald Trump is a sexy beast of an “outlaw” who’s captured the imagination of the public, much like Butch Cassidy and Jesse James?
Trump Leans Into an Outlaw Image as His Criminal Trial Concludes
Over the past week, Donald J. Trump rallied alongside two rap artists accused of conspiracy to commit murder. He promised to commute the sentence of a notorious internet drug dealer. And he appeared backstage with another rap artist who has pleaded guilty to assault for punching a female fan.
As Mr. Trump awaits the conclusion of his Manhattan trial — closing arguments are set for Tuesday and a verdict could arrive as soon as this week — he used a weeklong break from court to align himself with defendants and convicted criminals charged by the same system with which he is at war.
See, it’s not enough to say Trump is likely or almost certainly a criminal. He has to be portrayed—in headlines, at least—as a hale and hearty folk legend who’s fighting The Man on behalf of the downtrodden and persecuted.
But even if Trump can’t remember who he’s running against now—or who he’s run against in the past—he does seem to have a preternatural knack for recalling his transparently fascist plans for America. Seems like those might be worth mentioning a bit more often. Or at least more often than Biden’s inability to get his economic message through to the electorate. (Psst: Y’all media outlets have broadcast towers and printing presses. Maybe the real problem is not Biden’s messaging, but you.)
So whaddya say, media muckety-mucks? Wanna help save democracy and the free press? It starts with treating Trump as a real threat instead of a previously vetted reality star. And all you have to do is consistently and confidently report the unvarnished truth! Should be easy, right? Right?
Just a thought.
Daily Kos’ Postcards to Swing States campaign is back, and I just signed up to help. Please join me! Let’s do this, patriots! Democracy won’t defend itself.
Every day brings a new prognostication that is making President Joe Biden’s campaign operatives worry or freak out. Is Donald Trump running away with the election? No. Not even close.
