One of most grotesque scenes: Trump getting fat drained off belly
'The Apprentice' - The new film (almost still -born after maneuvers to stop its distribution), finally made it to theaters Friday and we were fortunate to see it. Why? Because it provides the whole sordid origin story of how Donald Trump became the soulless monster we behold today. And for that reason, every citizen worth his salt - and especially those who want to know how Trump got to be what he is - needs to see it.
Some reviewers, e.g. in The Denver Post, (10/11/24, p. C7), have claimed the film "humanizes Trump". Well, yeah, but only near the beginning when the young Trump wanted to try to get the aging Commodore Hotel in NYC under the Trump umbrella. Trouble was the DOJ had filed a housing discrimination lawsuit against dad Fred Trump for racist, biased practices at his Trump Villages apts. and no one - no developer - wanted to get near that mine field. Enter Roy Cohn, the hardball lawyer who Trump meets in a seedy lounge with two mob clients, Fat Tony Salerno and Carmine Galanti (see this 1977 video about one Cohn-Galanti interaction: Roy Cohn Interview after Carmine Galante Leaves Court in Miami, Fla. (August 23, 1977) (youtube.com)
Trump is so impressed with Cohn's take- no -prisoners style he hires him to dispose of the DOJ case. When young Trump sees the means Cohn uses: blackmailing a Federal official associated with the suit, using photos of a homosexual meetup in Mexico- he hesitates. Indeed, he's appalled. His moral barometer clearly has kicked in but Cohn lets him know in no uncertain terms this is the only way to win, further adding his 'three rules' to get young Donald's attention:
One: Attack, Attack, Attack, Attack
Two: Admit nothing, deny everything
Three: No matter what happens you claim victory and never admit defeat.
Cohn adds for emphasis that truth is "malleable" and "whatever you believe it is". And "You have to be willing to do anything to anyone to win."
This is particularly relevant when later on young Trump wants desperately to get Trump Tower construction underway. However, he needs a $160 million property tax abatement to accomplish this, so that he's willing to go to Cohn (again) to make it happen. Key to succeeding is having the city approve the abatement but if passed would force the city to cut critical services to the poor. Early signs in the Council meeting showed the majority (by 1 vote) leaning to reject Trump's abatement plea.
But during a hearing recess Cohn pulls the young Trump into a hidden room to show him the dozens of audio tapes he has secretly amassed of the various Council members' discussions, conversations. There and then he pulls out one that criminalizes the key Council vote- exposing him in a nefarious exchange which Cohn caught on tape. Cohn then threatens the Council member who caves, and agrees to vote for the tax abatement- to the horror of all regular citizens assembled.
Young Donald is so impressed with the use of such bare-knuckle tactics that he surrenders whatever vague reservations of morality he previously had. At that point he crosses into the dark side and there is no return. He will use Cohn's 'laws' and methods to steamroll over everyone and everything in his way. The stage is set for a veritable Kraken unleashed.
The rest of the film shows the progressive downward spiral away from any semblance of humanity toward brutality and craven, pathological narcissism backed by force and manipulation. A stark perspective into the Trump of today, and we behold the nascent grifter coming on as well - i.e. stiffing contractors in Atlantic City over newly built casinos, including the Taj Mahal. In one scene a contractor threatens the young grifter Trump who's stiffed him out of money owed. The Donald merely smiles and says he will declare bankruptcy. (This will be the first of six, compliments of the guy too many American dummies believe is "better on the economy" than Harris. See link at bottom.)
Sebastian Stan as the young Trump, delivers about as authentic a performance as one will ever see, and evinces a believable adaptation progressing through the film's timeline. Thus, in the initial (70s) scenes Stan displays only a hint of the Trump flair. But as he ages over the coming decade, and into the 1st term of the Reagan administration the 'Trumpian' cadence, accent and delivery become more pronounced. By now the guy talks like Trump and even affects every action from the constant checking of his hair to the cocky and generally disrespectful manner toward women.
Especially his wife Ivana - whom he rapes in one jarring scene - after she mocks him putting on weight, his "big orange face" and bald spot on the top of his head. Thus, we plainly see Trump's psychopathy and narcissism growing more malignant as the film progresses.
A humorous aspect is that - worried about his expanding midsection - Trump goes to a doctor who advises him to get off the diet pills, which are basically "low grade" amphetamines. He suggests exercise instead of pills but Donald will have none of it. He believes a human body only has a finite amount of energy in it, and if one uses it up in exercise - well, there won't be enough left to live. Stymied, he opts to get a major liposuction operation to drain off about five pounds of fat, at the same time he has a procedure done to replenish his bald spot. As the Donald's siphoned fat pours into a waiting receptacle it vies for perhaps the grossest scene in the movie.
His brutality and contempt are confirmed by the end of the film, when he has taken up temporary residence at Mar-a-Lago and invited a now sickened Cohn (dying of AIDS from his homosexual liaisons) to stay and celebrate Cohn's birthday. As the ailing Cohn is feted at Trump's palatial estate (and told by Ivana the diamond -studded cufflinks Trump gave him as a gift are fakes) we see Cohn finally realizing the measure of the monster he has created. A "monster to whom America is a joke, a punchline, something to be devoured like a can of diet Coke" in the words of one (NYT) reviewer.
For by now, it's evident to Cohn that his long time protege has ascended to the height of his powers and no longer needs to lean on the master. Empowered by his hubris, the no -more apprentice will "build, borrow and bang with a sense of gleeful combativeness" as he goes on his merry way - soon to emerge in the form of the manipulative showman and charlatan who yearns to tear the country to shreds.
One stock moment of the transitional Trump just after he crosses into the dark side is illuminating. When he's asked by a guest at party what he would do if he lost all his money. He spends barely a minute pondering his answer before responding: "Well, I guess I would probably run for president."
That line chilled one to the bone. See the trailer to the film here:
That the film has opened barely 3 weeks before the election was not intentional. Director Ali Abassi - according to a WSJ account (yesterday, p. C2, 'The Controversial Trump Movie Finally Arrives') had begun work on the movie in 2018 but faced roadblocks every step of the way. From a Hollywood reluctant to antagonize the orange reprobate (in case he wins and conducts a retribution onslaught) to legal threats from the Trump campaign itself.
For example, Trump campaign communications director (and 'Jabba the Hut' lookalike) Stephen Cheung e.g.
"called the film 'election interference by Hollywood elites' and 'garbage that belongs in a dumpster fire'." This according to the WSJ. Cheung also filed a 'cease and desist' order that prevented an earlier (February) release and had all the major studios and distributors backing off despite a rousing reception at Cannes Film Festival in the spring.
So every major studio buckled under the threats except for Tom Ortenberg, of Briarcliff Entertainment - the film's eventual distributor. In Ortenberg's words, quoted in the WSJ: "I enjoy taking on pictures that others are afraid of, that others are frankly too cowardly to take on."
Bully for him and Briarcliff, given this intense film might otherwise never have seen the light of day. Especially, as we only learned yesterday of Trump's latest threat - e.g. from the UK Independent:
No, you can't make this shit up. It's for real and hopefully people are paying attention and get to see this film to see just how the orange roach was spawned. And why we need to take his every blather seriously, no matter how demented it sounds.
See Also:
by Maya Boddie | October 14, 2024 - 5:58am | permalink» article continues...
Donald Trump, during a Sunday interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, floated the idea that the National Guard will take control of polling sites on Election Day.
"Let's remember you've got 50,000 Chinese nationals in the last couple of years. There are people on the terrorist watch list — 350 in the last couple of years. Like you said, 13,000 murderers, and 15,000 rapists," Bartiromo said, asking the former president, "What are you expecting? Joe Biden said he doesn't think it's going to be a peaceful Election Day."
Trump replied, "He doesn't know what's happening. I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within ... sick people, radical left lunatics. And it should be easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military."
A slew of political experts and journalist immediately sounded the alarm.
And:
by Robert Reich | October 12, 2024 - 5:27am | permalink
— from Robert Reich's Substack
Trump’s entire candidacy is based on a lie.
TRUMP: I’m really a good businessman. I’m so good at business.
Not true. Trump is a business failure. Almost every business he’s touched, he’s driven into the ground.
MARCO RUBIO: You ever heard of Trump Steaks?
TRUMP: Trump Steaks are the greatest steaks, and I mean that in every sense of the word!
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