Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'The Apprentice' Director Offers Shady Response After Trump Threatens To Sue Over Biopic

'The Apprentice' Director Offers Shady Response After Trump Threatens To Sue Over Biopic
SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images; Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Director Ali Abbasi threw some shade at the ex-President after he was asked about the Trump Organization threatening to sue over the movie, which stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump.

Danish/Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi isn't scared of Donald Trump—which is probably part of why he was chosen to direct a biopic about the man.

The film, titled The Apprentice and starring Sebastian Stan as a younger version of the former President, clearly has Trump quaking in his boots—he's threatened to sue over it and has issued a cease and desist to the filmmakers.


But despite Trump's escalating threats, Abbasi has not only stood firm but clapped back in the most subtle way possible.

THE APPRENTICE – Press conference – English – Cannes 2024youtu.be

Speaking to press at the Cannes Film Festival, Abbasi was asked about Trump's legal threats in response to the film—and he seemed thoroughly unimpressed.

“I mean, everybody talks about him suing a lot of people. They don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?”

Abbasi's response drew applause from some among the press gathering.

Through a campaign spokesperson's statement, Steven Cheung, Trump vowed to take legal action over the film, which he has called "blatantly false" propaganda made by "pretend filmmakers."

The statement reads in part:

“This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked..."
"This is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.”

Trump's legal team has since sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers in an attempt to block its US release, a gambit that appears successful in one respect—the film has come away from Cannes without a US distribution deal, though it was acquired for several international markets.

The film's producer Daniel Bekerman said that Trump's response indicated that he "clearly" had not seen the film. Abbasi agreed, saying that he understands Trump's response.

He told the press:

"I would [think], 'oh, this crazy Iranian guy and some liberal c*nts in Cannes, they gathered and they did this movie. And it’s fu*ked up and it’s demeaning and it’s a conspiracy.”

But he went on to say that he doesn't think Trump would necessarily like or dislike the film if he actually watched it, which he then invited the former President to do along with him.

"I think he would be surprised... I would offer him to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie and have a screening and a chat afterwards."

The subtext, of course, is that Trump is a giant baby who would never in a million years have the guts to actually do so.

And on social media, many found Abbasi's response to Trump absolutely masterful.




Regardless of Trump's response, the film has been received glowingly at Cannes, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation after its premiere.




In addition to Stan as Trump, The Apprentice stars Borat Subsequent MovieFilm breakout Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump and Succession's Jeremy Strong as Trump's mentor Roy Cohn.

More from People/donald-trump

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less