2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumDonald Trump Kept Calling Lil Jon an ‘Uncle Tom,’ Celebrity Apprentice Staffers Say
The Donald didnt seem to understand that the term was a slur, and kept using it even after that was explained to him.
During an episode of a season that first aired in 2013 (dubbed All-Star Celebrity Apprentice), the Turn Down for What singer was tasked, along with the other celebrity contenders, with mounting competing displays around and inside glass trucks in order to promote hair-care products. In the heat of competition, Lil Jon bought and donned an Uncle Sam costume to help advertise the beautiful hair product.
During the days shoot, Trump himself caught wind of this gimmick and began referring to Lil Jon around Apprentice staff as Uncle Tom instead of Uncle Sam.
Look, hes Uncle Tom! one longtime Apprentice staffer recalled Trump blurting out at least twice. The staffer said Trump was utterly tone-deaf to the racially charged history of the term, which is used to deride a black man deemed to be subservient to white people.
We kept trying to explain to [Trump] that thats not a word you can use, that its offensive, another Apprentice employee told The Daily Beast. One of the executive producers had to call him up directly to [plead with] him not to say it, and Trump was like, No, thats a saying, its Uncle Tom. There are several takes in the footage of the dailies that has him trying to figure out the difference between Uncle Tom and Uncle Sam. He just couldnt grasp that it was offensive
When [Trump] decides he wants to do something, thats his way.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/14/donald-trump-kept-calling-lil-jon-an-uncle-tom-celebrity-apprentice-staffers-say.html
oasis
(49,150 posts)in his private conversations with Ivanka, Eric and Don Jr.? I wonder.
-Steph-
(409 posts)Per his Twitter account:
"When this "Uncle Tom" incident happened on Celebrity Apprentice in the boardroom several of my castmates and I addressed Mr. Trump immediately when we heard the comment. I can't say if he knew what he was actually saying or not, but he did stop using the term once we explained it's offensiveness. I also want to be clear that I don't agree with many of the statements that Mr. Trump has said during his current run for President."