Trump Downplays ‘Apprentice’ Links After Massive Conflict Of Interest Q’s

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December 10, 2016

As if Donald J. Trump’s transition from caricaturistic 1%-er villain to bona fide leader of the United States couldn’t get any weirder, his continuing involvement with the upcoming season of The Apprentice has presented another bizarro challenge.

After it was revealed Trump will maintain his title of Executive Producer for the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring The New Celebrity Apprentice, the President-Elect combated conflict of interest concerns via Twitter:

I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2016

Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous & untrue – FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2016

Those messages stem from a rat’s nest of interconnected concerns. Firstly, the mind-boggling possibility of Trump devoting his time to running his reality TV project in lieu of, you know, spending the better part of his time heading the American government.

While the role of Executive Producer doesn’t necessarily have to be hands-on, and it’s currently unclear what his precise role on the show will be, his reaffirmation that he has a “big stake” in the project presents more worrying possibilities.

One policy expert told the New York Times that since Trump will oversee the regulatory bodies in charge of NBC, there may be the perception the network will give his pet project preferential treatment.

Fuck. Just throw this on the pile of Ways Donald Trump Will Be The Weirdest President Ever. Next on the list: his take on the word “ridiculous.”

Source: New York Times.
Photo: Mike Pont / Getty.