When it was announced that Sebastian Stan was going to be starring in a new biopic focused on how Donald Trump created his ‘real estate empire’ in the 70s and 80s in New York City, it was inevitable that the former president wouldn’t be best pleased. But things have now taken a turn for the worse, as this growing criticism has made the stars of the film worried about the backlash turning violent. Welcome back to our weekly recaps, where we cover everything you need to know about the upcoming US presidential election. This week, we’re addressing the very real concerns that we could have another ruthless conservative riot ahead of us. Oh dear…

The Apprentice, which stars Stan and Succession actor Jeremy Strong, has been heavily criticised by both Trump and many other conservatives. According to The Guardian, the former president tried to block the film’s release and had his team send production a number of cease-and-desist letters. Moreover, prominent distributors would not go near it.

However, despite the efforts of both Trump and a number of Republican politicians, The Apprentice was released today, Friday 18 October 2024.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, screenwriter Gabriel Sherman explained that the film’s “most shocking” moments are all based on “real events.”

“The funny thing is, everything in the movie that seems the most shocking is actually completely based on real events. Very little has been dramatised. It’s one of these stories where the truth is stranger than fiction,” Sherman continued.

In terms of what Trump had to say about the film, he made his feelings extremely apparent on his social media platform Truth Social: “A FAKE and CLASSLESS Movie written about me, called, ‘The Apprentice’ (Do they even have the right to use that name without approval?), will hopefully ‘bomb’. It’s a cheap, defamatory, and politically disgusting hatchet job, put out right before the 2024 Presidential Election, to try and hurt the Greatest Political Movement in the History of our Country, ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Now, while this kind of reaction isn’t at all surprising, it has got certain cast members in The Apprentice concerned about the possibility of this reaction encouraging violence. Speaking with the BBC, both Strong and Stan expressed their anxieties, with the latter stating that he believed the comments from Trump were “inspiring violence,” while Strong said he was starting to feel the situation was “slightly dangerous.”

“It wasn’t really until yesterday that I felt a sense of this feels slightly precarious and slightly dangerous and being in the crosshairs of the moment,” the Succession actor continued.

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Donald Trump shocked the audience when he called the January 6 Insurrection a ‘day of love’ during a town hall. 🎥: Noticias Univision presents; Latinos ask, Kamala Harris/Donald Trump responds #trump #donaldtrump #kamala #politics #election

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On 17 October, Trump referred to the 6 January 2021 Capitol riots as a “day of love,” clearly confirming his acceptance and encouragement of the immense violence that took place that day all in the name of a so-called fraudulent election.

So it’s really not that big of a stretch to see how Trump’s MAGA troop could be triggered by any one of the former president’s online rants. Is it that far-fetched to imagine that The Apprentice’s very existence might activate a new wave of riots? We know that these followers do not hesitate to act.