Veteran producer Bill Pruitt, known for his work on The Apprentice, recently broke his 20-year silence about the reality show, revealing startling behind-the-scenes details of former President Donald Trump's on-set behavior in a tell-all exposé titled "The Donald Trump I Saw on The Apprentice."
Pruitt's exposé sheds light on Trump's questionable conduct during the show's production, portraying him as a "con man." One of the most striking revelations is about Trump's unimpressive stature, which fell short of the persona the billionaire portrayed.
Trump had long been a media figure for decades, but he had little to no experience as an on-camera talent before his turn to reality TV and The Apprentice. As a result, he struggled to give clear and concise directions, which are essential to any television show, especially a competitive one.
The producer claimed, "Without a doubt, the hardest decisions we faced in postproduction were how to edit together sequences involving Trump. We needed him to sound sharp, dignified, and clear on what he was looking for and not as if he was yelling at people."
Pruitt compared his performances on The Apprentice to his campaign rallies since becoming a political figure. "You see him today: When he reads from a teleprompter, he comes off as loud and stoic," he explained. "Go to one of his rallies and he’s the off-the-cuff rambler rousing his followers into a frenzy."
"While filming, he struggled to convey even the most basic items. But as he became more comfortable with filming, Trump made raucous comments he found funny or amusing — some of them misogynistic as well as racist," he claimed. "We cut those comments. Go to one of his rallies today and you can hear many of them."
According to Pruitt, Trump's signature catchphrase, "You're Fired," which became an iconic part of the show, was not initially part of the script.
Producers had to persuade Trump to deliver the line, highlighting the scripted nature of reality television.
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As OK! previously reported, Pruitt also addressed Trump's alleged lecherous behavior toward women on the set, recounting instances where Trump made inappropriate comments and requests in front of female crew members.
According to the TV producer, while filming an earlier season of the show, Trump allegedly described one of the camera assistants as "too heavy."
A second female camera operator allegedly caught the billionaire's attention. It's been reported she happened to resemble his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, with blonde hair and blue eyes.
“There’s a beautiful woman behind that camera,” he said toward a line of 10 different operators set up in the foyer of Trump Tower one day. “That’s all I want to look at.”