Well, grab your popcorn, because yesterday was like watching a reality TV dumpster fire, starring none other than the man who used to host one! Donald Trump, the maestro of mayhem, got hit with 34 felony counts for fudging his business records to keep Stormy Daniels quiet. But wait, there’s more! Even before the jury’s grand finale, the day had already taken a nosedive for The Donald. In a plot twist that could only be scripted by the universe itself, Slate dropped a bombshell first-person exposé from Bill Pruitt, an ex-producer on The Apprentice. Pruitt, who had been muzzled by a $5 million NDA, finally spilled the tea now that the gag order expired. And oh boy, it was juicy!
Picture this: Season one of The Apprentice. Trump, with his trademark orange glow, is caught on camera tossing around the n-word like it’s going out of style. And who was the unlucky recipient of his racist rant? None other than finalist Kwame Jackson. According to Pruitt, Trump suggested that America wasn’t ready to see a Black man win his little game show. Yep, you read that right.
Here’s how it all went down. The producers, being the fair-minded folks they are, presented the strengths and weaknesses of each finalist to Trump. Carolyn Kepcher, one of the producers, went rogue, passionately defending Jackson. She highlighted how Kwame managed the notorious Omarosa with grace, unlike Bill Rancic, his competitor. Trump, ever the fount of wisdom, winced and bobbed his head as if he were trying to shake off the bad ideas coming from Kepcher.
“Why didn’t he just fire her?” Trump quipped about Omarosa. Solid question, Donny, except firing people wasn’t Jackson’s job. That was Trump’s gig. Bienstock, another producer, pointed this out, but Trump was having none of it.
And then, the moment of truth. Trump, in all his glory, asked, “Yeah, but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Kepcher turned a shade of red that can only be described as “Tomato Surprise,” while the rest of the room collectively lost their ability to even.
Bienstock, with the finesse of a ringmaster at a circus, quickly changed the subject, throwing it to Ross for his take. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew was left in a state of shock, trying to process what they had just heard. Walk out? Quit on the spot? Nope, they all stayed put. (For the record, Bienstock and Kepcher declined to comment. Surprise, surprise.)
As the article from Slate wraps it up, we get a reminder that, of course, Trump said it. He’s probably said it a thousand times, on camera, off camera, in his sleep, who knows. NBC has the tapes, loaded with all kinds of vile Trumpisms – misogyny, eugenics, antisemitism, you name it. It’s the worst-kept secret in showbiz, like a grotesque version of “Where’s Waldo?” but with hate speech.
It’s another day, another revelation that Donald Trump is, well, a trash fire wrapped in a dumpster fire inside a burning building. The moral of the story? Don’t wait for NDAs to expire to speak out against racism. And also, maybe don’t elect reality TV stars as President. Just a thought.
