The hosts of The View have weighed in on reports that Donald Trump Jr. is being considered to host a potential reboot of The Apprentice on Amazon. During Friday's episode, Joy Behar recalled that President Donald Trump had previously wanted his daughter Ivanka to take over the show, which originally aired from 2004 to 2017. Behar asked the panel, 'So my question to you is, would Ivanka be a better host? Pick your train wreck.'
Sunny Hostin responded with a quip: 'Maybe they can all just go on reality TV and get out of the White House and out of government. I would be very supportive of that.' She added that one reason Donald Trump is in office is because people saw him on The Apprentice and believed he was a good businessperson, despite his bankruptcies. Behar noted the irony of a casino owner losing money, saying, 'The house never loses. So to bankrupt two casinos, how bad a businessman do you have to be?'
Trump's Business History
Before entering politics, Trump was a well-known New York businessman and real estate tycoon. From 1991 to 2014, he owned several Atlantic City casinos, including Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, and Trump Castle, aiming to build a casino empire. However, after filing for bankruptcy at least four times, he severed ties with all of them. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Concerns Over Normalizing the Trump Family
Hostin expressed fear about 'normalizing and sanitizing this family' if they are chosen to host the show. She referenced a 2019 lawsuit against the Donald Trump Foundation, which forced the president to pay $2 million in damages to eight charities for misusing funds. Sara Haines added, 'Even looking at the Trump family as a TV brand, I think it's funny they think they can just “swapsies.” It took a unique character that could be mean... we just didn't know that would become the president.'
Haines continued, 'Just because Don Jr., or whichever one it is, carries the last name, does not mean you just swap out Trumps like they are cards. It doesn't work that way.'
The Apprentice's Legacy
For over a decade, Trump presided over NBC's The Apprentice, where contestants competed for a $250,000 contract to manage one of his properties. His catchphrase 'You're fired' and commanding presence fueled his rise to global fame. NBC ended its relationship with Trump in 2015, citing 'derogatory statements' about immigrants. Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced him for the final season, and Trump went on to win the presidency in 2016.
