Trump's biopic ‘The Apprentice’ premieres at Cannes with controversial scene

In the new biopic "The Apprentice", which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, former US president Donald Trump is depicted as a rapist who assaulted his first wife, Ivana.

Directed by Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi, the drama fictionalizes a 1989 incident that came to light during the couple's divorce proceedings.

Near the end of "The Apprentice", Trump becomes enraged after Ivana insults his appearance, saying, "You have a face like an orange. You're getting fat, you're getting ugly, and you're getting bald." The future president is then shown forcing his wife to the floor and assaulting her.

This scene reflects Ivana Trump's account from her 1990 divorce deposition, where she described a similar assault happening soon after Trump's scalp-reduction surgery. She recounted that Trump pushed her to the floor and yanked out handfuls of her hair.

Initially, Ivana described the incident as rape but later retracted this assertion. In a 1993 statement, she explained, "On one occasion during 1989, Mr Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently towards me than he had during our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated... I referred to this as a rape, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense."

During their divorce proceedings, Trump categorically denied his wife's account, calling it "obviously false."

Scripted by bestselling author Gabriel Sherman, "The Apprentice" stars Sebastian Stan as Donald J Trump and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, with "Succession" star Jeremy Strong portraying the notorious New York lawyer Roy Cohn. 

The film is a dark neo-horror narrative, depicting Cohn as an inseparable figure from Trump, uncovering the grim aspects of American capitalism. One of Cohn's critical advice to Trump is: "Admit nothing, deny everything."

"The Apprentice" is competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes. Despite backing from Canada, Denmark, and Ireland and being sold to numerous international markets, it has yet to secure a distribution deal in the United States.

The film is also facing legal challenges from lawyers associated with billionaire and Trump donor Dan Snyder. According to Variety, Snyder invested in "The Apprentice" under the impression it would portray Trump favourably and was outraged after viewing a rough cut of the movie.

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Since the 1970s, Trump has faced allegations of sexual misconduct from over 25 women, which he has consistently denied. In a ruling last year, he was held responsible for sexually assaulting writer E Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and was instructed to pay $83.3 million in damages.

The former president of the United States has never faced charges or been convicted of rape.

Ivana, the mother of Donald Jr, Ivanka, and Eric Trump, died in July 2022 after a fall at her Manhattan residence. She was buried on the premises of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.