Not The Onion: Trump May Continue “The Apprentice” From White House

News Resurfaces as Trump Campaign Struggles

by Josh Guckert

According to a June report by Vanity Fair, Donald Trump is open to continuing “The Apprentice” from the White House. The story reemerged when “The Takeaway” podcast interviewed its writer Sarah Ellison this past weekend.

“[NBCUniversal Chief Executive Steve Burke and Trump] outlined, presumably fantastically, that Trump should run for president; and on the off chance that he won, he would continue to star in ‘The Apprentice’ from within the White House,” Ellison wrote about the 2011 conversation.

Ellison continues by saying, “That is the main takeaway here is that Trump doesn’t distinguish between what an audience would be, that you can actually monetize, and what the political electorate is, that would actually go out and vote for someone.”

That was five years ago, and it currently seems unlikely that Trump will win in November. However, the possibility is both strange and interesting. After all, he has run his campaign no differently than one would direct a reality show. He has given the public tidbits of shocking material to supplement otherwise little substance in policy.

The element of surprise has been key for Trump, as he has seemingly attempted to keep audiences (and voters) on the edges of their seats to see what he will say or do next.

Will we see an “Apprentice”-style TV show broadcast from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue starting this January? Will obscure celebrities be tasked with competitions to earn Cabinet spots? Only time will tell.