Soft sell? Donald Trump thinks son Don Jr. would ‘probably’ be good as new “Apprentice” host

Key Points

• President Donald Trump has reacted to reports of The Apprentice being revived.

• Donald Trump Jr. is said to be a target for the host of an Amazon reboot.

• The president said his son has “got a little charisma going.”

He’s hired?

President Donald Trump on Thursday responded to reports that Amazon is exploring the possibility of a new version of The Apprentice, with Donald Trump Jr. taking over as host for his dad. And the younger Trump got what can be generously described as a soft endorsement.

“I’ve been hearing it,” President Trump said of the rumors. “He’s a good guy, he’d probably be good,” he added of his eldest son. “He’s got a little charisma going. You need a little charisma for that sucker.”

After a report from The Wall Street Journal about The Apprentice‘s future, an Amazon spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly, “Since our acquisition of MGM, we have had preliminary internal discussions about what’s next for The Apprentice as a property.” But the spokesperson also insisted that a reboot is not in “active development,” and “any reporting on details of the show or names of potential hosts would be purely speculative.”

The elder Trump hosted the hit NBC reality competition series for 14 seasons between 2004 and 2015, before Arnold Schwarzenegger took over for the final season, which aired early in Trump’s first term as president. On The Apprentice, contestants participated in “the ultimate job interview,” working toward a chance to land a job under Trump. Over the course of multiple seasons, Trump Jr. appeared as a “board member,” a.k.a. one of the two judges who helped Trump decide who to fire.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Mark Burnett-created show continues to generate “six figures of annual income for [Trump], with royalties of between $100,000 and $1,000,000 in 2024.” Amazon shares ownership of the franchise with Trump’s company, Trump Productions.

During his 2015 campaign for president, Trump said that immigrants are criminals, prompting NBC to declare that it would not put Trump back on its network.

“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values,” NBC said in a statement. “Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”

Meanwhile, Amazon is already in bed with the Trumps, having paid a reported $40 million for the recent documentary about first lady Melania Trump.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly