Now Trump caught in Apprentice tape storm
British producer under pressure to release videos which are ‘far worse’ than groping scandal
A BRITISH TV producer is under pressure to release tapes of The Apprentice which reportedly show Donald Trump in an even worse light than his boasts about groping women.
Supporters of Hillary Clinton are asking Mark Burnett to make public the recordings of the hit TV series, which the Republican presidential candidate hosted on NBC between 2004 and last year.
The tapes are said to show things that are ‘far worse’ than the 2005 recording of Mr Trump released on Friday, which showed him celebrating sexually assaulting women.
Alan Sugar, who presents the UK version of The Apprentice, called for the tapes to be released. He wrote on Twitter: ‘I’m willing to bet NBC has some gems on Trump [from] 11 years [of The] Apprentice.’
Addressing Hillary Clinton, Lord Sugar added: ‘Go ask @nbc to study all non-broadcast material of Donald when he was doing the Apprentice and encourage them to publish.’
He also wrote: ‘Hi @MarkBurnettTV do USA a favour and get the non-broadcast unofficial rushes of Trump while recording the Apprentice. There must be loads.’
Mr Burnett, 56, was born in London and now lives in the US. The committed Christian, who served as a paratrooper in the Falklands War, reportedly has the tapes – but is said to be close to Mr Trump and has allegedly said he will sue for $5million (£4,045,000) anyone who leaks the tapes.
However, David Brock, a ‘ megadonor’ for Mrs Clinton, has said he would pay the money if it meant the material being aired.
Among those who have said there is dirt on the recordings of The Apprentice is Bill Pruitt, an Emmy Award-winning producer, who wrote on Twitter: ‘As a producer on seasons one and two of The Apprentice I assure you: when it comes to the Trump tapes, there are far worse.’
Chris Nee, an Irish-American children’s TV producer, tweeted that he was ‘hearing from producers and crew’ the tape was ‘much worse’.
Insiders have previously claimed Mr Trump rated female contestants on The Apprentice by the size of their breasts and discussed which he would like to sleep with.
Ex- contestant Gene Folkes recalled the 70-year-old calling for female contestants to wear more revealing dresses. Former senior producer Katherine Walker said Mr Trump frequently talked about women’s bodies during the five seasons she worked with him.
The Trump campaign said all the allegations were ‘outlandish and false and fabricated’.
The claims came as the most powerful Republican in Congress last night turned on Mr Trump and said he would no longer defend him.
Speaker Paul Ryan said he would not campaign with his party’s nominee. According to CNN, Mr Ryan said he would focus on keeping con- trol of the House – a tacit admission that he thinks Mr Trump will lose.
The Speaker serves as the presiding officer in the House of Representatives and leader of the majority political party there. He is also second in the line of succession after the vice-president, if the serving president dies.
Mr Ryan’s remarks are yet another blow to Mr Trump’s support among Republicans. More than three dozen governors, senators and representatives said they will not vote for him or have revoked their endorsements since the 2005 video emerged on Friday.
In the footage Mr Trump said that he liked to grab women ‘ by the p****’ and that ‘when you’re a star … you can do anything’. Mr Ryan said he was ‘sickened’ by what he had heard. In a conference call yesterday with senior Republicans, the Speaker did not revoke his endorsement of Mr Trump but said his focus was on state and gubernatorial races. He told senior Republicans: ‘Do what’s best for you’.
Among those who have turned their backs on Mr Trump are Senator John McCain, ex-Florida governor Jeb Bush and Condoleezza Rice, George W Bush’s defence secretary.
But his vice-presidential running mate Mike Pence told CNN suggestions he would leave the Trump campaign were ‘absolutely false’.
Mr Trump kept his battered political dreams alive yesterday, flinging dirt at Hillary Clinton in the most vicious presidential debate in living memory. In the 90-minute slanging match, a pacing Mr Trump accused Mrs Clinton of having ‘tremendous hate in her heart’. The pair refused to shake hands at the beginning.
Mr Trump blithely dismissed his lewd remarks about women as ‘locker room talk’, and tried to focus on the sexual misdemeanours of Bill Clinton – who sat stony-faced in an audience that included three of his female accusers.
The Republican contender accused him of sexually assaulting or harassing a string of women. He also accused Mrs Clinton of smearing her husband’s accusers in a campaign to discredit their claims.
It later emerged the Trump campaign had tried to compound the embarrassment for the Clintons by putting the three accusers – Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones – in the Trump family’s elevated box. Mrs Clinton claimed the controversy over Mr Trump’s lewd remarks was part of a pattern of misogyny.
Mr Trump turned the discussion to his rival’s controversial use of a private email server while Secretary of State. Some 33,000 deleted emails have never been recovered.
The tycoon told her ‘if I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation.’ When Mrs Clinton said it was ‘awfully good’ someone with Mr Trump’s temperament was not in charge of US law, he replied: ‘Because you’d be in jail.’ His campaign manager later claimed the jail threat was a joke.
Nigel Farage, interim Ukip leader, praised Mr Trump’s performance, telling Sky News: ‘He took control.’