LOS ANGELES, United States: Re-runs of ‘The Apprentice’ reality show that propelled Donald Trump into the US national consciousness, are showing on Prime Video, the latest indication of warming relations between the US president and Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos.
Following a frosty few years between tech titans and the US president, the move is another sign of a rapprochment that saw key figures from Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta bag front-row seats at Trump’s January inauguration after making hefty donations.
Bezos has also sought to make his Washington Post newspaper less hostile to the president, ordering its opinion section not to run columns opposed to “personal liberties and free markets,” and quashing its planned endorsement of Democrat Kamala Harris before the US election.
Amazon’s announcement comes after its streaming arm said it would also air a behind-the-scenes documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.
The first season of ‘The Apprentice’ became available on the platform on Monday and by Tuesday was being advertised on the landing page, where it was showing as “#6 in the US.”
Amazon said new seasons would become available every week until the seventh season, which will be released in April.
In a statement released by Amazon, Trump welcomed the return of the show – of which he was a producer, and therefore likely to gain revenue from re-runs.
“I look forward to watching this show myself – such great memories, and so much fun, but most importantly, it was a learning experience for all of us!” he said.
Mark Burnett, the British-American producer considered the brains behind the format, said he hoped the show would attract a new generation of viewers, two decades after it first aired.
“The Apprentice is one of the best shows that I ever produced,” he said in a statement.
“The charismatic onscreen presence of President Donald J. Trump made it a bona fide hit! Now, thanks to Prime Video, a whole new audience will experience a new season every Monday.”
While Trump was already a celebrity figure in New York in the 1980s and 1990s, ‘The Apprentice’ catapulted him to broader national fame when it launched in 2004.
Producers cast the real estate mogul as an archly successful businessman, who oversaw a cut-throat competition between budding entrepreneurs.
Contestants would vie for Trump’s approval, allowing them to progress to the following installment, with those who failed summarily dismissed by Trump’s now-famous catchphrase “You’re fired!”
The ultimate winner of the series was given a six-figure salary to work within the Trump empire.
‘The Apprentice’ was a huge network television hit for several years and is credited with creating the public persona that Trump leveraged to run for the White House in 2016.
It also spawned dozens of international off-shoots including some that outlasted the US progenitor. While Trump was fired from the US show in 2015 over remarks he made about Mexican immigrants, the British version is still shown on the BBC.
‘The Apprentice’ is owned by MGM Alternative, whose parent company was bought by Amazon three years ago.
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