Weeks away from the 2024 US presidential election, the former chief marketing officer of NBC is apologizing to Americans for "creating a monster" through making Donald Trump a household name with The Apprentice.
"To sell [The Apprentice], we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty. That was the conceit of the show," John D. Miller explained in an op-ed published by U.S. News & World Report.
"At the very least, it was a substantial exaggeration; at worst, it created a false narrative by making him seem more successful than he was."
Miller writes that The Apprentice boardroom where Trump "fired" contestants was a set, as "his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV."
He adds that Trump had "declared business bankruptcy four times before the show went into production, and at least twice more during his 14 seasons hosting," describing him as the "perfect choice" for host as "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."
"The image of Trump that we promoted was highly exaggerated. In its own way, it was 'fake news' that we spread over America like a heavy snowstorm," Miller wrote. "I never imagined that the picture we painted of Trump as a successful businessman would help catapult him to the White House."
Miller has now realized, "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."
Calling himself a "a born-and-bred Republican," he urged readers to vote for Kamala Harris in concluding, "I say now to my fellow Americans, without any promotional exaggeration: If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like The Apprentice was."
Trump's real estate career is the subject of recently released film The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi.
Leading up to the November 5 election, musicians including Jack White, ABBA, Foo Fighters, Beyoncé, Céline Dion and more have disavowed Trump for using their music to soundtrack his campaign.