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The Apprentice director defends Trump rape scene as lawsuit looms

  • The Apprentice team fires back after Donald Trump’s campaign threatens lawsuit
  • The film notably contains a scene depicting Trump raping his first wife, Ivana Trump

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Sebastian Stan plays a younger Donald Trump in the movie. Photo: Cannes Film Festival via TNS

The director of an explosive biopic that shows Donald Trump raping his wife defended the controversial scene, saying the alleged incident is “well known” and shed light on the former US president’s character.

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The Apprentice, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, traces Trump’s origins as an ambitious young property developer in 1970s and 1980s New York.

Donald Trump’s team has vowed to sue the producers, calling it “garbage” and “pure malicious defamation”.

The most controversial scene is that of Trump raping his first wife, Ivana, after she belittles him for growing fat and bald.

Director Ali Abbasi. Photo: AFP
Director Ali Abbasi. Photo: AFP

“This particular thing is very well known. This incident, Ivana Trump said it under deposition, under oath,” said the filmmaker, Ali Abbasi.

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