Former NBC marketing chief John D. Miller wrote in an op-ed this week that he regrets helping market Donald Trump The Apprenticesaying he helped “create a monster”.
The Apprentice ran for 15 seasons from 2004 to 2017; Trump hosted the first 14 episodes.
“To sell the show, we created the narrative that Trump was a very successful businessman who lived like a king. That was the idea of the show,” Miller wrote in an editorial News from the United States. “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.
He continued: “In fact, Trump filed for corporate bankruptcy four times before the show went into production, and at least two more times during his 14 seasons of hosting. The massive boardroom where he fired contestants was a set, because his actual boardroom was too old and dingy for TV.”
Miller worked at NBC for 25 years, leading marketing for NBC and NBCUniversal. He was the head of the marketing team The Apprentice.
In his lengthy editorial, Miller recalled promoting the show “relentlessly,” with “thousands of 30-second promotional spots spreading the fantasy of Trump's supposed business acumen.
“In its own way, this was 'fake news' sweeping over America like a major snowstorm,” Miller continued, invoking one of the former president's most famous terms and adding, “I never imagined that l he image we have painted of Trump as a successful businessman would help catapult him to the White House.”
Miller recalled his interactions with Trump, revealing that the president “is manipulative, but extraordinarily easy to manipulate” with “an unbridgeable compliment void. No amount is excessive.”
“Even world leaders, apparently including Russian strongman Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, have discovered this,” he continued.
Miller went on to say that marketing The Apprentice “has done irreparable damage by creating a false image of Trump as a successful leader” and “I deeply regret it. And I'm sorry it took me so long to go public.
His message concluded with a plea to vote for the Democratic ticket next month. “I spent 50 years successfully promoting television magic, creating mountains of molehills every day,” Miller wrote. “But now I say 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, just like The apprenticeera. Even if you are a born and raised Republican, as I was, I strongly urge you to vote for Kamala Harris. The country will be better off and so will you.”