Donald Trump to sue film depicting him as raping his wife

The movie The Apprentice was recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on the morning of May 21st (local time in France). The film sparked controversy due to its portrayal of the main character - Mr. Donald Trump - during his younger years.

The most controversial scene in the film revolves around an incident from Mr. Donald Trump's past, where his first wife - Ivana Trump - accused him of marital rape during their divorce proceedings. The film The Apprentice includes a shocking scene based on this accusation.

The movie "The Apprentice" focuses on Donald Trump in his younger years (Photo: Hollywood Reporter).

In reality, when Ivana Trump filed for divorce from Donald Trump in 1989, she made a startling accusation. In 1993, three years after their divorce was finalized, Ivana made a new statement: "In 1989, Mr. Trump and I were still in a marital relationship. At that time, he changed his behavior towards me.

As a woman, I felt hurt. I once said I was raped, but I do not want my expression to be taken too literally, or to be understood as if I was a victim of a criminal act."

During the divorce proceedings, Donald Trump denied Ivana's accusation. In 2015, Ivana spoke out again to retract her previous statements. She affirmed that she and her ex-husband remained friends after their divorce. She stated that they always had a good relationship while raising their three children together after the divorce.

In fact, when Ivana passed away in 2022, Donald Trump appeared at the funeral as the head of the Trump family. He and his children and grandchildren attended the funeral to bid farewell to his first wife.

In the movie, actor Sebastian Stan portrays a young Donald Trump (Photo: Hollywood Reporter).

The movie mainly explores the work and life of Trump in the 1970s-1980s (Photo: Hollywood Reporter).

In The Apprentice movie, as Trump and his first wife became increasingly hostile towards each other in the final stages of their marriage, they often psychologically taunted each other. In one scene, Ivana insults her husband's appearance, leading to a shocking moment in the film.

After the premiere of The Apprentice at the Cannes Film Festival, Donald Trump's representatives have threatened legal action against the film crew for defaming another person.

Trump's team asserts that the movie by Danish director of Iranian descent, Ali Abbasi (43 years old), "is a completely fictional story, built on long-standing misinformation and deception that has long been debunked."

Trump's representative, Steven Cheung, told the American press that they would file a lawsuit to address the misinformation that the self-proclaimed filmmakers included in The Apprentice movie.

"This garbage movie is entirely a fabricated fantasy story. This film clearly intends to smear someone's reputation in a completely malicious way. Such a movie should not be allowed to be released to the public," Cheung emphasized.

Donald Trump and his first wife Ivana during happier times (Photo: Hollywood Reporter).

Donald Trump and current wife Melania at Ivana's funeral in 2022 (Photo: Hollywood Reporter).

The director of The Apprentice movie, Ali Abbasi, is best known for the films Shelley (2016), Border (2018), Holy Spider (2022). Abbasi has previously won awards at Cannes, including Un Certain Regard in 2018 for Border and competing for the Palme d'Or in 2022 with Holy Spider.

The Apprentice movie is currently competing for the Palme d'Or award. The film follows the story of Donald Trump (actor Sebastian Stan playing the role) building his business empire in the 1970s-1980s. Along with depicting Trump's career, the movie also explores his first marriage to Ivana Trump (actress Maria Bakalova playing the role).

Currently, reviews of the film from critics are not very positive. Showbiz news outlet Variety (USA) noted that the film portrayed Trump in a simplistic manner.

The movie blends documentary and biographical genres, while incorporating suspenseful situations to evoke emotions in viewers. However, in the end, the film fails to convincingly portray a political figure, a successful businessman, as we know him.

A film review in The Guardian (UK) rated the film 2/5 stars and described the film as dry humor resembling a cartoon.

Movie news outlet Screen International found The Apprentice to have a lackluster storyline. The film depicts an important period in Trump's business career, but fails to create content with weight and depth. As a result, the film also fails to leave a lasting impact on viewers.

According to The Guardian, the film cleverly begins with a disclaimer that the content depicted in the film is fictional. The movie also includes other shocking scenes, portraying Trump undergoing liposuction and hair transplantation.