Trump Campaign Says It Will Sue Makers of ‘Pure Garbage’ Biopic That Shows Him Raping Ex-Wife Ivana
The Trump campaign announced it will sue the “pretend filmmakers” behind a new movie that shows the presidential candidate raping his former wife, Ivana.
The biopic “The Apprentice” landed at Cannes on Monday, tracking the former reality TV star’s rise to power in the New York real estate world in the 1980s. Sebastian Stan plays Trump and “Succession” star Jeremy Strong plays his fixer Roy Cohn.
Late in the Ali Abbasi movie, a scene depicting Trump’s alleged rape of his first wife Ivana drew gasps from the Cannes premiere crowd. He is seen throwing Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova) violently to the ground and having non-consensual sex with her. “Did I find your G-spot?” he asks in the film.
In a 1989 divorce deposition, Ivana made an accusation of rape against her ex, but later rescinded her claim. During the former couple’s divorce proceedings, Trump dismissed her version of the incident as “obviously false.” Ivana died in 2022.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” Steven Cheung, Trump campaign communications director, said in a statement to TheWrap.
“This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked,” he added. “This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.”
Earlier Monday, TheWrap reported “The Apprentice” had split critics, with review reactions ranging from “pointless” to “provocative.”
“’The Apprentice’ is woefully bad — and worse, pointless,” New York Times editor Karl Delossantos wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “A melange of Wikipedia plot points mixed with Donald Trump sound bytes we’ve heard a thousand times that feel forced in. ‘SNL’ was a more incisive portrayal of Trump. A frankly embarrassing effort.”
Others said Stan’s performance “exceeded expectations.” At Cannes — where #MeToo has been an ongoing discussion — the movie was met with a lengthy standing ovation.
“The Apprentice” is in competition for the Palme d’Or award. While the Canadian production has already been sold to a number of foreign territories, it has yet to land a U.S. distribution deal.
The post Trump Campaign Says It Will Sue Makers of ‘Pure Garbage’ Biopic That Shows Him Raping Ex-Wife Ivana appeared first on TheWrap.