The first trailer for The Apprentice, a new biopic detailing former President Trump’s early career in real estate, was revealed on Tuesday, offering a glimpse ahead of its October release.
Directed by Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbassi, The Apprentice focuses on Trump’s younger years, with Sebastian Stan portraying him, and Jeremy Strong taking on the role of Trump’s attorney and mentor, Roy Cohn. The film depicts Trump’s rise in the competitive New York real estate scene.
In the trailer, the first meeting between Trump and Cohn is shown, where Cohn outlines his three rules for success: “Attack, attack, attack. Admit nothing, deny everything; no matter what happens, you claim victory and never admit defeat,” Cohn declares.
“You have to be willing to do anything to anyone to win,” he later says, while scenes of Trump building his real estate empire, attending glamorous events, and interacting with his former wife Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova) are displayed.
As the trailer nears its end, a young Trump is asked what he would do if he lost his fortune, to which he wryly responds, “Well, then maybe I’ll run for president.”
Written by Gabe Sherman, The Apprentice debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May, receiving an eight-minute standing ovation, though it did not win any awards. The first preview was released last week.
The film is set for release in the U.S. and Canada on October 11, just before the November election, with Briarcliff Entertainment handling distribution.
Trump’s team has been vocally critical of the film since its early screenings. Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, condemned it as “pure fiction” that sensationalizes debunked falsehoods.
In May, Trump’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers, attempting to halt the movie’s release, and also threatened legal action over what the team claimed were “blatantly false assertions.”
In response, the filmmakers launched a Kickstarter campaign called “Release the Apprentice” last week, aiming to maintain the film’s presence in as many theaters as possible for an extended period.
