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Trump quits Hollywood union in fiery letter: ‘Happy to see him go'
He’s appeared in blockbusters such as Home Alone 2 and Zoolander, but former US President, Donald Trump, is turning his back on the showbiz industry that arguably made him a household name.
Trump, who hosted the TV show The Apprentice for 14 seasons, officially resigned from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) after over 30 years as a member in a fiery letter on Thursday.
Trump’s decision comes after the union’s national board voted last month to order a disciplinary hearing regarding the 74-year-old’s alleged role in inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
In the letter dated February 4 and addressed to union president Gabrielle Carteris, Trump dismisses the hearing before boasting of his supposed Hollywood success and claiming not to know that Carteris used to star on Beverly Hills, 90210.
“I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!” the letter begins.
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“While I’m not familiar with your work, I’m very proud of my work on movies such as Home Alone 2, Zoolander and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; and television shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saturday Night Live, and of course, one of the most successful shows in television history, The Apprentice — to name just a few!”
Ironically, Trump has been the target of a recent viral campaign to have his cameo in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York removed, which has even been endorsed by star Macaulay Culkin himself.
Trump goes on to accuse SAG-AFTRA of using the disciplinary hearing as a means to distract from what he considers the union's larger ‘policy failures’ and ‘dismal record’ on issues concerning its membership.
“Your organization has done little for its members, and nothing for me — besides collecting dues and promoting dangerous un-American policies and ideas — as evident by your massive unemployment rates and lawsuits from celebrated actors, who even recorded a video asking, ‘Why isn’t the union fighting for me?’”
Here, Trump is referring to a 2020 video featuring stars like Amy Schumer, Morgan Freeman, Mark Hamill and Whoopi Goldberg criticising SAG-AFTRA’s controversial health plan changes.
“I no longer wish to be associated with your union,” Trump's letter concludes. “As such, this letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA. You have done nothing for me.”
‘Happy to see him go!’
Reactions to Trump’s news has been mixed on social media, with many users poking fun at the former world leader’s petulant behaviour.
“The ‘I am quitting so I don't get fired’ letter,” wrote one Twitter user.
“I lost it when he started talking about movies and sitcoms he appeared on (WTF?) Just a totally unbelievable joke of a person,” added another.
One SAG-AFTRA member was clearly not sad about Trump’s exit.
“As a member of this union HAPPY TO SEE HIM GO!!!!” they tweeted.
Carteris and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White kept their response short and sweet, tweeting just two words to the ousted president: “Thank you.”
It’s not clear whether Trump’s disciplinary hearing will proceed as planned or if his resignation renders it moot.
SAG-AFTRA (in full, Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) is an American labour union that represents 160,000 actors, singers, models and other entertainment professionals.
It is best known for hosting the Screen Actors Guild Awards, an event that’s considered a ‘litmus test’ of sorts for the upcoming Academy Awards.
Signed, sealed
Some on Twitter were confused about Trump’s signature — in which he refers to himself as ‘President’ — and the seal on the letter.
“Is this real and why is he signing as President??” asked one user.
“Former presidents have the honorific “President” for the rest of their life. Barack Obama is still President Obama or Mr. President,” another explained.
As for Trump’s use of the official-looking eagle seal, which many suspected was the US Presidential seal, another Twitter user set the record straight.
“That’s not the actual Presidential Seal. He is allowed to use the eagle seal though as part of the Former Presidents Act. Obama has the same seal,” they wrote.
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