Apprentice Exec: Tape Exists Of Trump Using N-Word

Bill Pruitt writes for Slate:

I was one of four producers involved in the first two seasons. During that time, I signed an expansive nondisclosure agreement that promised a fine of $5 million and even jail time if I were to ever divulge what actually happened. It expired this year.

“I think Kwame [Jackson] would be a great addition to the organization,” [Trump employee Carolyn] Kepcher says to Trump, who winces while his head bobs around in reaction to what he is hearing and clearly resisting. Trump winces again. “Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?” Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

Then we wrap production, pack up, and head home. There is no discussion about what Trump said in the boardroom, about how the damning evidence was caught on tape. Nothing happens.

Read the full article. No paywall.

Rumors of Trump using the N-word during production of The Apprentice have swirled for years. Executive producer Mark Burnett has long refused to release any outtakes from the show. In 2018, Trump tweeted that the N-word “does not exist in my vocabulary and never has” and that Burnett backs him on this “fake news.”

For 20 years, I couldn’t say what Donald Trump did on the set of The Apprentice. Now I can. https://t.co/yHWnZYKy1l

— Slate (@Slate) May 30, 2024