Trump has good reasons for not wanting people to watch “The Apprentice.”

Given former President Donald Trump's combative nature, it was hardly a surprise that the former president would accompany a film dedicated to his formative years as a real estate mogul with the threat of legal action against “patently false claims made by these alleged filmmakers,” as Trump's campaign team said. welcomed speaker Steven Cheung remarked in May. Despite this usually aggressive assertion, I would argue that the Republican presidential nominee has good reasons for not wanting people to see “The Apprentice,” which hits theaters this week.

The film's most shocking and powerful scene shows the fictional Trump raping his then-wife Ivana, which the real Trump and Ivana deny (more on that below). It's a moment that will likely dominate the conversation. But when it comes to understanding what drives Trump and his often casual approach to facts, the rest of the film is unflattering in a timely and clearly meaningful way.

The film was written by journalist Gabriel Sherman and directed by Ali Abbasi (whose credits include the film “Border” and episodes of HBO’s “The Last of Us”). The film largely revolves around Trump's crucial relationship with Roy Cohn, the red-baiting lawyer. “Guardianship” gives the title a double meaning, considering that the television show shaped and embellished Trump's image. “The Apprentice” introduces the young Trump character (played by Sebastian Stan) as he tries to escape the shadow of his domineering father, gradually with considerable help from Cohn, portrayed with over-the-top enthusiasm by “Succession’s” Jeremy Strong “. .

Cohn spots Trump in a crowded, upscale club and takes him under his wing. He first helps him with a lawsuit over allegations of discriminatory rental practices in his run-down apartment buildings and later with his ambitious development plans in New York.