John D. Miller, who helped create “The Apprentice,” the show that made former President Trump so popular, is now lamenting his involvement.
Mr. Miller is a former chairman of the NBCUniversal Marketing Council and chief marketing officer of NBC and NBCUniversal. I wrote a sad crime A US News headline reported, “We created a monster: Trump was a TV fantasy made for 'The Apprentice.'”
“I want to apologize to America,” he began. “I helped create the monster,” he said, recalling how he led the marketing team for “The Apprentice,” the reality show that made Donald Trump famous outside of New York City, claiming he did it to “sell” the show. “We created a narrative that Trump was a super successful businessman who lived like royalty. That was the conceit of the show. At least, it was a huge exaggeration. At worst. created a false narrative by making it seem like he was more successful than he actually was.
After mentioning Trump's bankruptcy, he said, “The imposing boardroom where Trump famously fired contestants was a set because his actual boardroom was too old to be made into television. “Because it was poor,” he said.
Former US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump dances during a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Center on October 13, 2024 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. ((Photo by: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images))
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He also argued that Trump was, in some ways, the ideal choice for the show, saying, “Successful CEOs are too busy to be on reality shows, so they run random game show winners.” That's because I didn't want to recruit him to the team.”
He also claimed that NBC itself at the time was producing what could be called “fake news.”
“At NBC, we promoted our programming relentlessly. Thousands of 30-second commercial spots were broadcast over the airwaves to nearly every household in the country, promoting the illusion of President Trump's business acumen.” the tycoon wrote. “The image of Trump we promoted was highly exaggerated. What we spread across America like a blizzard was itself 'fake news.' The success we portrayed I never imagined that Trump's image as a businessman who wanted to take him to the White House would help tremendously. ”
As for Trump himself, Miller warned that Trump would make exaggerated boasts about the show's popularity, saying, “Trump thinks that if he just says something over and over again, people will eventually believe it.'' He would say to me, “The Apprentice – an American thing.'' No.1 TV show. ”But that wasn't the case. A former NBC employee later quipped, “He didn't like being fact-checked back then, either.''
As the election approaches, former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris appear to be in a close race. (Getty Images)
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Miller argued that while “The Apprentice” was a success as a show, it did “irreparable harm” to Trump's public image.
“I deeply regret it,” he said. “And I'm sorry it took so long to make it public.”
But a former NBC employee suggested a different path.
“But I say it now, without exaggeration, to my fellow Americans: If you believe that Trump is better for you and for the country, that's an illusion. Just like 'The Apprentice' was.” “Even if you were born and raised a Republican like I was, I urge you to vote for Kamala Harris,” he wrote. “The country will get better, and so will you.”
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FOX News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign and NBC Universal, but did not immediately receive a response.
