Connect with us

Bussiness

NBC exec apologizes for creating a ‘monster’ in Trump

Published

on

NBC exec apologizes for creating a ‘monster’ in Trump

A former NBC executive has apologized to Americans for creating a “monster” in Donald Trump via the hit show The Apprentice.

“I want to apologize to America. I helped create a monster,” John D. Miller penned in an op-ed for US & News and World Report.

Miller spent 25 years running marketing for NBC and NBCUniversal and promoted the reality show that pushed Trump into superstardom.

While Trump was a known figure thanks to his larger than life persona and real estate business that put him on TV sets in the 1980s and 90s, it was the show and the phrase “you’re fired” that propelled him to become a business icon.

Trump used the show, the fame and his business background as a key part of his push into politics that landed him in the White House.

Miller noted in his op-ed that in order to sell the show “we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty.”

He admitted the narrative was a substantial exaggeration that could have made Trump seem more successful than he was.

A former NBC exec apologized in an op-ed for helping create a myth that Donald Trump was a highly successful businessman
A former NBC exec apologized in an op-ed for helping create a myth that Donald Trump was a highly successful businessman (Getty Images)

“Trump may have been the perfect choice to be the boss of this show, because more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV and didn’t want to hire random game show winners onto their executive teams,” Miller wrote.

“Trump had no such concerns. He had plenty of time for filming, he loved the attention and it painted a positive picture of him that wasn’t true.”

The marketing team used that image of a successful businessman to promote the show, and Miller said he never imagined it would be used to push Trump to the White House.

Trump was “remarkably thin-skinned” and would go after those who critiqued him, Miller noted.

John D. Miller wrote that the idea of Trump as a business mogul was used by marketing to help fuel the show. It was that idea that helped propel Trump into politics
John D. Miller wrote that the idea of Trump as a business mogul was used by marketing to help fuel the show. It was that idea that helped propel Trump into politics (Getty Images)

The former president also hated to be fact-checked, even back then, the exec stated. Trump would say they had the No. 1 show despite the data showing otherwise.

The executive also took a dig at Trump, saying that the infamous boardroom from the show was a set because Trump’s real one was “too old and shabby for TV.”

Miller implored Americans heading to the polls to vote for Harris and stated that the idea Trump is better for the country is a mirage – just like his The Apprentice persona.

“While we were successful in marketing The Apprentice, we also did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader. I deeply regret that. And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public,” Miller wrote.

Continue Reading