President Trump Bashes Report of Talks With Mark Burnett for New ‘Apprentice’ Series

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday morning to blast as “fake news” a report earlier this week that he is planning to develop a TV series with “The Apprentice” creator Mark Burnett following his time in the White House.

On Thursday, the Daily Beast reported that Trump has been talking to Burnett , a prolific reality producer who now heads MGM Worldwide Television, about doing another TV series together after the end of his presidency. The report asserted that Burnett and Trump are considering a new iteration of “Apprentice” dubbed “The Apprentice: White House.”

“Fake News is reporting that I am talking to about doing a big show, perhaps The Apprentice, after the presidency, which I would assume they mean in 5 years,” Trump said via Twitter early Saturday. “This is not true, never had such a conversation, don’t even have time to think about it. False reporting!”

A spokeswoman for Burnett strongly denied that any such plans were in the works to the Daily Beast. Burnett is known to be in regular communication with Trump, given their long friendship. Burnett helped make Trump a national household name with the success of the NBC reality series that Trump hosted from 2004 to 2015.

The Daily Beast report cited four sources claiming that Trump and Burnett have discussed post-White House TV projects. A spokesman for Burnett told Daily Beast:  “The quoted statements attributed to Mr. Burnett are absolutely false. Among other things, the president and Mr. Burnett have not discussed making television shows in any shape or form.”