Amid speculative reports that Donald Trump Jr is being considered by Amazon to lead a reboot of The Apprentice, he has already received a slightly muted endorsement from the reality show's former host: his father, US President Donald Trump.
Amazon's Potential Reboot
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Amazon was considering rebooting The Apprentice, which was hosted by Donald Trump between 2004 and 2015, for its streaming service Prime Video. Anonymous sources said Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins began discussing the reboot idea internally early last year, around the time Trump was being sworn in for his second term.
Amazon stated that a reboot was not in active development but confirmed to Variety that preliminary internal discussions about the future of The Apprentice had begun since acquiring MGM and the franchise in 2022. The company emphasized that any reporting on details or potential hosts was purely speculative.
Trump's Reaction
On Thursday, the Hollywood Reporter cited a source close to Trump Jr, who said he learned about his potential new role from the media. At an Oval Office executive order signing event, Trump was asked about the reports. He replied, "Well, I've been hearing it. So we'll see what happens. He's good. He's a good guy. He's probably good. He's got a little charisma going."
Amazon's Relationship with the Trump Family
If Amazon reboots The Apprentice with a Trump at the helm, it would signal the company's determination to cement relations with the family. This follows Amazon's release of Melania, a critically panned documentary about the first lady, for which Amazon paid $40 million for rights and spent $35 million on marketing, though it made only $16 million at the box office. Some question whether the $75 million total spend was a move to ingratiate itself with Trump.
History of The Apprentice
Starting in 2004, The Apprentice featured business contestants competing in tasks like selling products and negotiating deals, with the prize of a job in Trump's empire. Each episode ended with Trump's catchphrase, "You're fired!" The show was hugely successful, spawning spin-offs in the US and internationally. Trump hosted until 2015 when he left to run for office but remained an executive producer. Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted The New Celebrity Apprentice in 2017 but left after one season, citing Trump's divisive influence. Trump responded by criticizing Schwarzenegger's ratings.
Trump's Previous Endorsement
Two years ago, Trump revealed he had endorsed his daughter Ivanka as his successor on The Apprentice, not Donald Trump Jr. He told Ramin Setoodeh, "I said, 'The best person to hire would be Ivanka Trump.' I didn't press it. But I felt Ivanka would have been by far the best person you could hire."
