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Top 10 Things The Apprentice Got Factually Right and Wrong
WatchMojo
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10/16/2024
In the words of Donald Trump himself, this biopic is going to be "hugeee." Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the things that the 2024 Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” nailed — and what’s “fake news.”
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00:00
You'll pay me back with your friendship, okay, quid pro quo, you'll be a friend to
00:05
me, I'll be a friend to you, okay, that's the pact, okay?"
00:10
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the things that the 2024
00:15
Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice nailed, and what's fake news.
00:19
This probably goes without saying, but a major spoiler warning for The Apprentice is now
00:23
in effect.
00:24
10.
00:31
Donald Trump and Roy Cohn used blackmail to build a Hyatt.
00:34
Wrong.
00:35
Per Apprentice screenwriter Gabriel Sherman in an Entertainment Weekly interview, quote
00:44
"...everything in the movie that seems the most shocking is actually completely based
00:48
on real events."
00:50
Sherman further claimed that quote "...very little has been dramatized."
00:53
As depicted in The Apprentice, Trump and mentor
01:03
Cohn scored an early career victory for the former by securing a contract to build the
01:07
Grand Hyatt Hotel in 1978.
01:10
However, no evidence exists to suggest that Cohn used illicit recordings to blackmail
01:15
a city official.
01:16
Sherman, a former reporter who covered Trump extensively, pointed out that Cohn was notorious
01:22
for using dirty tricks, such as unauthorized surveillance, to win at all costs.
01:29
9.
01:35
Roy Cohn was a closeted gay man.
01:38
Right.
01:39
Cohn, who first rose to prominence as Senator Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel in his
01:52
quest to root out communists, bore more than a few secrets of his own.
01:56
Perhaps his worst kept was his identity as a gay man, which he denied throughout his
02:00
life despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.
02:07
The Apprentice pulls no punches in its uncompromising depiction of Cohn's life, particularly the
02:12
drug and sex-fueled parties that the controversial prosecutor was known for.
02:16
In one eyebrow-raising scene, Trump attends such a party at Cohn's house and discovers
02:21
the lawyer engaged in an intimate encounter.
02:23
These parties were actually held at the famous Studio 54, and there's no proof of Trump walking
02:29
in on Cohn in a compromising situation.
02:31
8.
02:35
Trump and Cohn publicly feuded.
02:37
Wrong.
02:38
Cohn's 1984 AIDS diagnosis put a decisive end to his hard-partying ways.
02:48
However, the pervasive stigma and misinformation surrounding the disease at the time cast
02:53
a looming shadow over his and future President Trump's relationship.
03:00
While a scene in The Apprentice depicts Cohn and Trump hashing it out, this does not appear
03:05
to have been the case in reality.
03:07
Instead, the duo's long friendship apparently fizzled out over time, and was made clear
03:11
by Trump's general unwillingness to stand by Cohn in the latter's final years.
03:16
Cohn, who died destitute and in substantial debt, reportedly expressed disappointment
03:20
in his mentee's cold-shoulder treatment.
03:23
You're over-leveraged and have debt up to your ears.
03:25
I know what I'm talking about.
03:27
7.
03:28
Cohn's lover Russell.
03:29
Right.
03:30
Excuse me.
03:31
I'm Russell.
03:34
My friend wants to know if you'd join us for dinner.
03:37
Russell Eldridge, as played by Ben Sullivan in The Apprentice, was indeed a real person
03:41
who was involved with the closeted Roy Cohn.
03:44
The broad strokes of Russell's depiction in director Ali Abbasi's film appear to be
03:48
accurate.
03:49
As described by journalist David L. Marcus, also Cohn's cousin, Cohn claimed that Eldridge
03:54
was his secretary.
03:55
He's a long-time member.
03:56
He wants to congratulate you on passing the selection committee.
04:01
Abbasi's film portrays Cohn as asking Trump to put Eldridge up in the Barbizon Plaza hotel,
04:06
now Trump Park, to which Trump reluctantly obliges.
04:09
This followed Eldridge's AIDS diagnosis.
04:12
Russell would eventually die of the disease.
04:15
However, it is unclear as to whether or not the future president sought to it that Eldridge
04:19
was removed from the premises, or if the incident occurred at all.
04:23
Well, hello there.
04:24
How's it going?
04:25
How are you?
04:26
I'm fine, thank you.
04:27
Have a seat.
04:30
We're not gonna bite.
04:32
6.
04:34
Fred Trump Jr. was disowned by his family.
04:37
Right.
04:38
I had a great brother who taught me a lesson.
04:40
Don't drink.
04:42
And he said, don't smoke.
04:43
He smoked and he drank.
04:44
And he was a great guy.
04:46
He was a handsome, very handsome guy.
04:49
As depicted in The Apprentice, Donald Trump's older brother Fred was something of a black
04:53
sheep within the Trump family.
04:54
Fred, who faced significant struggles with alcohol use disorder later in life, was essentially
04:59
given up on by Fred Sr. for his perceived rebellion.
05:03
This rebellion consisted of shirking the family real estate business entirely to pursue his
05:07
dream of becoming an airline pilot.
05:08
Did you admire him?
05:09
Yeah, I admired him a lot.
05:11
So much about him.
05:12
He had so much going.
05:13
He had the look.
05:14
He had an unbelievable personality, like an incredible personality.
05:20
Enraged, Fred Sr. constantly mocked Fred Jr.
05:23
According to the latter's daughter, Mary, Fred's father, quote, dismantled him by devaluing
05:28
and degrading every aspect of his personality.
05:31
It has been speculated that Fred Jr.'s substance use was spurred on by this torment.
05:35
Tragically, his alcohol use would be his undoing.
05:38
Fred Jr. died in 1981, aged only 42.
05:42
I was amazed that his body could hold out.
05:44
It held out and it had bad moments.
05:48
But his body was unbelievably strong that it could withstand this.
05:52
Number 5.
05:53
Trump was addicted to pills.
05:55
Wrong.
05:56
Listen, Judy, about 100 reporters were crawling up my ass to get this interview and I gave
06:00
you the exclusive.
06:01
The Apprentice depicts Donald Trump as turning to amphetamines as a way of dealing with his
06:05
increasing responsibilities and rising public profile.
06:08
If you choose to believe former President Trump himself, he has been a staunch teetotaler
06:13
since 1976, with his older brother Fred Jr. as his main influence.
06:17
Yes, hello, Judy, this is Donald Trump.
06:21
Very excited, very excited to talk to you.
06:23
Donald, now that the lawsuit is behind you, what do you want to do next?
06:26
Said Trump, quote, every day he lectured me.
06:29
Look at the mess I'm in.
06:30
If I ever catch you smoking, you'll be sorry.
06:33
Or drinking even a glass of booze because you like it too much.
06:36
Freddie did a good job.
06:37
While it is certainly possible that Trump isn't being totally forthcoming about his
06:40
substance use or lack thereof, no credible evidence suggests this was ever the case.
06:45
Where do you get the drive?
06:46
You're still so young, Donald.
06:47
I got flair and I'm smart, so I think that's going to make me successful.
06:52
But I also want to stay humble.
06:54
Number 4.
06:55
Fred Trump denied housing to black tenants.
06:57
Right.
06:58
You know, I should have talked to dad before announcing the Commodore.
07:02
He'll be convinced when he reads about it in the Times, OK?
07:05
Well...
07:06
You create your own reality.
07:07
It's not that easy.
07:08
Former President Trump's contentious relationship with his father, Fred Sr., is an important
07:12
part of the former real estate tycoon's narrative and personal history.
07:15
The Apprentice takes great care to incorporate this into the film's story, particularly with
07:20
regard to the aforementioned Manhattan Hyatt.
07:22
My dad is tough.
07:23
Why?
07:24
He's very tough.
07:25
Well, that's why you gotta spread the news like it's already happening.
07:27
No, we just, you can't push him around very easily.
07:29
Fine.
07:30
OK, fine.
07:31
Then, uh...
07:33
Early on in the film, Donald Trump's introduction to Roy Cohn is brought on by Cohn's offer
07:37
to assist with Fred Sr.'s legal troubles, in which the federal government has accused
07:42
the Trump patriarch of discriminating against black tenants.
07:45
This is based, in fact, a federal investigation revealed that a building superintendent hired
07:50
by Trump management had been instructed to specifically deny black tenants while welcoming
07:55
white ones.
07:57
The Trumps settled with the government to avoid having to admit to the accusations.
08:01
How much is this?
08:03
OK, that's...
08:04
OK, we'll take it.
08:05
And, uh, matching shirt and tie.
08:06
Number 3.
08:07
Trump gave Cohn knock-off cufflinks.
08:09
Right.
08:10
I don't need your money.
08:11
You'll pay me back with your friendship, OK?
08:14
Quid pro quo.
08:15
You'll be a friend to me, I'll be a friend to you.
08:18
OK?
08:19
That's, uh, that's, that's, that's the pact.
08:21
OK?
08:22
In an Apprentice scene meant to signify the final straw in Trump and Cohn's rapidly
08:26
deteriorating relationship, Trump's wife Ivana informs Cohn that a pair of diamond
08:30
cufflinks, presented to Cohn as a gift, are fake.
08:34
Nothing more than cheap knock-offs.
08:36
If you look like a million bucks, I look like a million bucks.
08:40
In fact, including the moment was Cohn actor Jeremy Strong's idea.
08:44
Per Sherman, quote,
08:45
Jeremy had done so much research into his character, and when we were doing script notes,
08:50
he told me that great story that I'd remembered but hadn't included in the script about how
08:53
Donald gifted Roy these fake diamond Tiffany cufflinks.
08:56
However, the incident is likely fictionalized, as it's unlikely that Ivana would've broken
09:01
the news to Cohn.
09:02
Sorry, Roy.
09:03
Uh, no.
09:04
I mean, listen, it's your life.
09:05
Uh, you got a ways to go, but, uh, you're learning.
09:09
Number two.
09:10
Trump got plastic surgery.
09:11
Wrong.
09:12
Look, forget the gift clause, all right?
09:14
Roy got carried away.
09:15
Listen, I'll give you, uh, $50,000 now, like a signing bonus.
09:19
Admittedly, the answer to this question depends on whom you choose to believe.
09:24
Former President Trump has personally denied any accusations of having gone under the knife.
09:28
The Apprentice alleges that this was to combat his accelerating hair loss and weight gain.
09:33
Ivana, please.
09:34
Let's talk about this.
09:35
Come on.
09:36
Don't do this.
09:37
Go find someone else, Donald.
09:38
I'm not a traffic watch.
09:39
You're gonna ruin your life if you don't marry me.
09:41
Once again, according to Gabriel Sherman, Ivana Trump testified that her ex-husband
09:44
Donald, quote,
09:45
got liposuction, scalp removal surgery, and was also taking diet pills.
09:50
So that scene really was something that was backed by the record.
09:54
When Trump's fictional doctor suggests that the future president takes up diet and exercise,
09:58
Donald brushes him off by claiming that human beings only have a finite amount of physical
10:02
energy, which reflects actual claims he's made.
10:05
Because I'm rich, I'm handsome, I have a great family, I'm gonna be the number one
10:09
builder in New York.
10:10
Listen to me.
10:11
You're gonna have a life you can't even dream of, Ivana.
10:14
Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
10:18
about our latest videos.
10:19
You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:24
If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:29
Number 1.
10:30
Trump Assaulted Ivana Inconclusive
10:38
In what is perhaps The Apprentice's most shocking scene, Donald Trump is shown as assaulting
10:43
his ex-wife Ivana in response to what he interprets as an attack on his libido.
10:48
While the real Ivana did indeed state in a 1990 divorce deposition that this occurred,
10:53
the circumstances were not exactly as depicted in Abbasi's film.
10:57
Citing Ivana's deposition, Gabrielle Sherman explained that her then-husband, quote, was
11:01
recovering from his scalp surgery and was having these debilitating headaches, and he
11:06
flew into a rage and threw her down on the bed and pulled out her hair and assaulted
11:10
her.
11:11
Over the years, though, Ivana backtracked on this accusation and, toward the end of
11:14
her life, maintained that she and Trump had remained close following their divorce.
11:19
I wanna have children with you.
11:21
I want us to grow old together.
11:23
Which part of director Ali Abbasi's The Apprentice shocked you the most?
11:26
Let us know.
11:27
We have a brand new campaign slogan.
11:29
Let's make America great again.
11:31
Hmm.
11:32
Oh, I like the again part.
11:35
Did you enjoy this video?
11:36
Check out these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
11:40
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