An explosive new essay published in Slate on Thursday raises new allegations about former President Donald Trump’s behavior on the set of The Apprentice, renewing focus on his history of racist comments and misconduct toward women.
A producer on The Apprentice alleges Trump used the n-word
The latest revelation renews focus on Trump’s history of racism.
Li Zhou is a former politics reporter at Vox, where she covers Congress and elections. Previously, she was a tech policy reporter at Politico and an editorial fellow at the Atlantic.
The piece, by Bill Pruitt, a former producer on the reality show, claims Trump used the n-word to describe a Black contestant named Kwame Jackson, and describes how he openly commented on women’s appearances.
The allegations are at once shocking … and not. They echo much of what’s known about Trump based both on his public behavior and reports about his private conduct. The piece also revives a past allegation about the former president using the racial slur, this time offering testimony from a direct source who purportedly witnessed it.
A Trump campaign spokesperson, in a response to Pruitt, has denied the essay’s claims.
Black voters and women are both groups that Trump has sought to make inroads with this year as the 2024 election is expected to be extremely close. Whether the essay alters any voters’ perceptions of Trump remains to be seen, particularly as the version of Trump portrayed in the piece doesn’t differ greatly from his public persona. But even if Pruitt’s piece doesn’t affect how voters see the former president, it’s putting his troubling track record into the spotlight once more.
Pruitt claims there are recordings of Trump saying unsavory things
Pruitt’s essay focuses on how Apprentice producers were able to make Trump appear like a successful and commanding businessperson despite his bumbling persona and well-established history of scamming those he worked with.
In the piece, Pruitt describes the ways in which editing, offscreen coaching, and sets were used to establish Trump’s business acumen and to obscure sexist and racist comments that he made.
“We scammed. We swindled. Nobody heard the racist and misogynistic comments or saw the alleged cheating, the bluffing, or his hair taking off in the wind,” Pruitt writes.
Below are some of the specific examples Pruitt cites:
- Racist comments: Pruitt says that there is a tape of Trump using the n-word to describe Jackson, a Black Goldman Sachs banker, as the judges are discussing who should win the first season of The Apprentice.
According to Pruitt, Carolyn Kepcher, one of Trump’s employees who advised him on the show, argued that Jackson did a strong job with the season’s final challenge, and he deserved to win.
“Yeah,” Trump allegedly said, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?”
Pruitt says that Kepcher’s face reddened, but producers and those in the room simply glossed over the comment and continued with the taping. He adds that such statements were cut from the show and that he does not believe those tapes will ever come to light.
- Treatment of women: Trump’s comments about women, including staff on the show as well as contestants, are also called out in the essay.
Pruitt claims that Trump prevented one camera operator from getting on the elevator with him, stating that she’s too “heavy” and openly commented on another’s looks, saying “that’s all I want to look at.” He also says that Trump described a contestant, as “the one with the …” while gesturing toward his chest.
- Scamming workers: In recent years, there have been a number of reports about Trump shortchanging contractors. Pruitt says he learned of this firsthand while filming the show after meeting an architect at Trump National Golf Club, who described being stiffed for half the cost of the work he did.
The essay may not change anyone’s mind about Trump, but it still matters
Many of the issues the piece raises are familiar ones.
In office, and on the campaign trail, Trump has been well-known for racist remarks, including describing Haiti and El Salvador as “shithole” countries, and threatening violence toward Black Lives Matter protesters. His policies, too, have taken aim at immigrant families and promoting diversity training in the workplace. Trump’s misogyny has been long established as well, with more than 20 women accusing him of sexual misconduct and a bombshell Access Hollywood video featuring him bragging about sexually assaulting women.
The piece treads similar ground. And for many of his core supporters, in particular, these revelations are unlikely to change their support of him.
The essay does, however, reignite discussion of Trump’s attitudes toward women and minorities as he tries to win over pivotal swing voters in 2024. In 2020, suburban women were a major group that boosted President Joe Biden in key swing states while Trump made marginal gains with Black male voters.
Pruitt’s piece points to key vulnerabilities Trump still has with these groups, and is a reminder of how his history could make improving his standing with them an uphill battle.
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