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Staff from ‘Apprentice’ doubt Donald Trump was ever recorded saying the n-word

'If there was a tape, it would have spread like wildfire,' says one producer

Sarah Harvard
New York
Friday 28 December 2018 16:57 EST
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Omarosa claims she has heard tape of Donald Trump using the N-Word

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Staff who worked on The Apprentice, the NBC reality television game show Donald Trump used to host, doubt that a rumoured tape of the president saying the n-word exists.

Mark Burnett, a producer for the Apprentice, is one of those staffers who doubt there is a hard copy of the alleged recording.

"If there was a tape, it would have spread like wildfire,” Mr Burnett told The New Yorker.

Mr Trump has a history of making outright offensive remarks and has repeatedly been criticised for using demonising language towards immigrants and other minorities. So, while it is unlikely that the rumoured recording will shine new light on the president, his critics are eager to see if the tape recording will ever surface.

Jonathon Braun, an editor who worked on The Apprentice’s first six seasons, also expressed similar attitudes to Mr Burnett.

"I was the supervising editor on the first six seasons," Mr Braun said. "I didn’t watch every frame, but in everything I saw I didn’t hear him saying anything so horrible."

Tom Arnold, a comedian, however said he saw the tape himself. Mr Arnold said he obtained unreleased Apprentice out-takes footage that show Mr Trump saying “every bad thing ever, every offensive, racist thing ever.”

"When the people sent it to me, it was funny," the comedian said. "Hundreds of people have seen these. It was sort of a Christmas video they put together. He wasn’t going to be president of the United States. It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word."

In addition to Mr Arnold, ex-White House staff and former Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault-Newman claims she also heard the tape of Mr Trump saying the n-word.

But Apprentice staff still remain unconvinced the alleged tape actually exists, citing that some who claim to have saw it are just critical of Mr Trump.

"If somebody had the goods, it would have leaked long ago," an unnamed staff member for the Apprentice told the New Yorker. "There were no Trump fans on the set. I don’t know a single person who worked on the show who voted for Trump."

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Despite claiming they never heard Mr Trump say the anti-black racial slur on set, they did claim that the former reality tv star had a habit of making misogynist comments.

"He’d say, 'How about those boobs? Wouldn’t you like to f*** her?'" an anonymous Apprentice employee claimed to the publication.

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