Trump Campaign Denounces Cannes Film ‘The Apprentice’ as ‘Blatantly False,’ Promises Legal Action

The Cannes Film Festival premiere of “The Apprentice,” a film about former U.S. president Donald Trump in the 1980s, has sparked controversy and legal threats from his reelection campaign. The film, directed by Ali Abbasi, portrays Trump’s relationship with his mentor, Roy Cohn, as a Faustian bargain that shaped his career in business and politics.

The Trump campaign has denounced the film as “pure fiction” and vowed to take legal action against the filmmakers for what they claim are false assertions. The movie includes a scene depicting Trump raping his wife, Ivana Trump, based on her 1990 divorce deposition where she made the allegation. Trump denied the accusation, and Ivana later clarified that she felt violated but did not mean it literally.

Abbasi, the director, addressed the Cannes audience after the premiere, stating that the film is a response to the rise of fascism and the need for political relevance in cinema. He warned of troubled times ahead, citing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan as examples of the storm on the horizon.

Despite the controversy and legal threats, “The Apprentice” is up for sale at Cannes with no release date set. The film’s provocative content and timely political themes make it a potentially explosive addition to the current U.S. presidential election landscape.