My wife and I watched the first couple seasons of “The Apprentice,” where contestants would nervously appear before Mr. Trump in the “Boardroom.” We were always a little embarrassed for Trump’s yes-man, “George,” an older man Trump described as one of his longtime employees. George sat in the Boardroom, agreeing with whatever Mr. Trump said, and you could imagine he, and Trump’s other real-life employees, having to continually stroke their boss’s ridiculous ego. Trump came across as an unmitigated ass who expected everyone to bow and grovel before him.
Over-the-top jerks can sometimes be entertaining, and clearly a number of TV shows where the lead character is a jerk have been very successful, from “All in the Family” to “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Of course, in this case, the jerk wasn’t a character contrived by the show’s writers; this was Trump’s true self.
We lost interest in the series, and never bothered with its bizarre sequel, “Celebrity Apprentice,” catching only the occasional glimpse when channel surfing. The only segment of that show I have a distinct memory of had Cyndi Lauper in it. I remember being embarrassed to watch her in the Boardroom, in the role of the groveling underling, calling him “Mr. Trump,” even though in this scene it was clear that Lauper was genuinely upset and mortified, as Trump kept making derogatory comments about her real-life friend, Rosie O’Donnell.
How gratifying it was, then, to see Hillary Clinton not giving him the benefit of an honorific. Instead, she addressed him always as “Donald.”
Donald.
Imagine how that must make him feel — the narcissist who’s so used to being surrounded by obsequious yes-men calling him “Mr. Trump.”
Donald.
It makes him sound like the little boy he is.
Well played!
