Amazon is reportedly looking to reboot “The Apprentice,” the reality TV competition that helped give President Donald Trump a national profile before he turned to politics.
The Wall Street Journal said the company is considering Donald Trump Jr., who was part of the original show, as the new host, but has yet to approach the Trump family with the idea, which is still in its early stages.
It’s unclear whether the president’s son was even aware of the idea, and the company told The Hollywood Reporter that it has had only “preliminary internal discussions” about the franchise, and nothing is in active development.
“Any reporting on details of the show or names of potential hosts would be purely speculative,” the tech giant said.
However, critics were quick to point out that Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, have become much more MAGA-friendly since Trump returned to the White House ― and are willing to make deals that keep cash flowing to the president’s causes and his family.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Amazon has helped sponsor a number of Trump events, including his inauguration, which Bezos attended, and the proposed White House ballroom.
The company also began streaming the original “Apprentice” series last year, which the president helped to promote. Amazon also paid a combined estimated total of $75 million for the production, distribution and promotion of “Melania,” a film about first lady Melania Trump, that debuted last year to a brutal Rotten Tomatoes score.
The movie ultimately grossed about $16 million, and critics dismissed it as an attempt to curry favor with the president. Longtime Trump nemesis Jimmy Kimmel called it a “brazen corporate bribe.”
Given that background, critics on social media aren’t too pleased with the reports of a possible “Apprentice” reboot, along with another potential payoff to the first family should it come to fruition:
