Donald Trump has reshaped American politics. But who shaped him? A new film has some answers.

The Apprentice, written by Gabriel Sherman and directed by Ali Abasi, charts the rise of a young Trump (Sebastian Stan) under the caustic tutelage of bulldog lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). 

Megan Gibson interviews writer Gabriel Sherman to discuss the creative challenges of putting Trump on screen, and Tom Gatti speaks to New Statesman film critic David Sexton to explore whether star Sebastian Stan is right that “the first three-dimensional portrayal” of Trump has done the presidential candidate a favour.

This is the first episode of a new weekly series, Culture from the New Statesman, hosted by Tom Gatti. 

We would love your feedback on our new episodes, and on the New Statesman podcast in general. Please email your comments to podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk

📚 READ 

The Apprentice: a grotesque, compelling Trump satire

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2024/10/the-apprentice-review-grotesque-compelling-donald-trump-satire

🙋‍♀️ ASK a question

We answer listener questions every Friday. Submit your by commenting here, or at www.newstatesman.com/youaskus

📧 FREE get our daily politics email

https://morningcall.substack.com

💷 SAVE Become a New Statesman subscriber:

Get access to all our reporting at newstatesman.com and receive your copy of our weekly magazine. Podcast listeners can get the first two months for just £2 at https://www.newstatesman.com/save

🎧 LISTEN to the New Statesman podcast

https://www.youtube.com/@NewStatesman

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.