Donald Trump Biopic Deemed Defamatory: Threatens Legal Action
AFP-Yonhap News
A film depicting the early life of former U.S. President Donald Trump, The Apprentice, has stirred controversy and legal threats from Trump’s camp after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 20.
The film was well-received, earning a standing ovation from the audience for about eight minutes. The Apprentice is also the title of a job reality show that Trump hosted for a long time.
The film vividly portrays Trump’s struggles in the 1970s and 1980s to become a real estate mogul in New York. The AFP and the New York Times (NYT) described it as a “film tracing the origin of Trump.” According to the reports, the latter part of the film includes a scene where Trump sexually assaults Ivana Trump, his first wife who he divorced in 1992. In the film, Trump, enraged by Ivana’s criticism of his appearance, forces himself on her, which seems to be a dramatization of allegations raised during the divorce proceedings between Ivana and Trump in 1990.
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As soon as the film was released, Trump’s camp strongly protested and threatened legal action. On the 21st, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “This trash is pure fiction and malicious defamation that sensationally deals with long-proven lies,” and “We will sue to counter the blatantly false claims of these fake filmmakers.” The statement can be interpreted as a forewarning that the camp will take necessary actions to prevent the film from being screened before the U.S. presidential election in November.
Amid various legal risks and financial difficulties, Trump has decided to accept election campaign donations in virtual assets. This is a strategy to overcome financial difficulties and appeal to younger voters by demonstrating familiarity with virtual assets.