The Hidden Message in Trump's "You're Fired!"
The tagline of "The Apprentice" is a form of revenge porn that signals a dark future.
Trump built his brand, his ethos, for decades before he ran for president in 2016, primarily through Trump: The Art of the Deal and his role on Celebrity Apprentice. Yes, his role. He was doing more than being himself. He was creating a myth.
When Trump talks about his brand, he usually emphasizes his fame (quantified by book sales, ratings, crowd sizes, and poll numbers) and his success as a businessman (quantified by his net wealth, the number of properties his owns, and his possessions, including his trophy wife). Fame and success account for much of his immediate impact as a candidate (he drew large, enthusiastic crowds from the beginning of his 2016 campaign), but one factor has been overlooked—the effect of the signature line from The Apprentice, “You’re fired.”
The Apprentice was, of course, a “reality show.” During each episode, the contestants competed in a business task. Their performance was evaluated, and the contestant with the weakest performance was eliminated, at the end of episode, with everyone sitting at a board room table. Trump would look the loser in the eye and sternly say, “You’re fired.”
Simple enough. America is supposed to be a meritocracy. The best people are supposed to succeed, and the worst are supposed to fail. We love Horatio Alger stories where the poor kid works hard and succeeds against all odds. This is part of what The Apprentice was selling—that anyone who works hard in America can be successful like the host of the show, Mr. Donald J. Trump, who earned his fame and wealth.
Yet, the signature line—“You’re fired!—is doing more than simply evoking the American Dream. It also evokes the gratification of revenge porn. Think about what is missing from the climax—the money shot—of the show. Before making his decision (it is clear that Trump is the one who makes all the decisions), he might consult with his team (in later seasons, this was primarily his daughter, Ivanka), but he does not consult with lawyers or Human Resources. He doesn’t talk about the effects of his decision on the person who is being eliminated. This is business. And, within his television business (not his real business), he is all powerful. He is decisive. He is the one who fixes problems. He is also the one who eliminates incompetent people—or, sometimes, people who are just annoying.
The climax of each episode, no doubt, contributed to the image of Trump being a good businessman, a good problem solver, and a fixer of problems—all traits that we would like to see in a president. On the surface.
What we should also recognize, however, is that, when Trump fires an “employee” of his fake business, he is acting outside of the law. In any real business, there are, certainly, people who are not capable of doing the job. They may need to be fired, but they also have rights. They should not be fired arbitrarily.
When Trump fires someone, he is in no way restrained by due process or the rights of an employee. In The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt writes: “The first essential step on the road to total domination is to kill the juridical person in man.”
Trump doesn’t just fix a problem. He eliminates the source of the problem. The source of a problem is a human being. Only a human being without protection under the law can be eliminated.
How many people watching the show wish they could fire the annoying guy at work or the annoying family member who keeps showing up for Thanksgiving dinner? It is a form of revenge porn.
To explain, let’s begin with porn and how the term “porn” is often used in current culture. Porn in its original sense, as the depiction of illicit sexual acts, takes us beyond the veneer of surface propriety to the world that happens behind closed doors. We see what we are not typically allowed to witness. The Apprentice also takes us behind closed doors. It dramatizes how business decisions are made. This is like absorbing conspiracy theories. We become part of a select group that has witnessed what is hidden from most people around us.
Porn also takes the complications out of the sexual act, which is typically fraught with complications. In porn, men do not stop to put on a condom. In this world, there are no STIs or pregnancies. There are no issues about consent. There are no headaches. Fantasies are satisfied because nothing in this world blocks them. In The Apprentice, one person has the power to fire anyone he wants, and there are no complications. No lawsuits.
Whenever the word “porn” is used outside of its original context, it captures this pure expression of emotions or desires without complications. Food porn, which is often used to describe cooking shows, typically features an attractive and fit chef (there are some exceptions) who prepared an elaborate meal that is “perfect” (the most frequently used word on these shows) and brings pure joy with each mouthful. The chefs always taste their dish and then moan as if they are experiencing an orgasm. Even when the chef is a bit overweight, the joy of the meal is not associated with the chef’s weight. In fact, the meals are often described as being “healthy” (regardless of the ingredients).
Trump uttering “you’re fired” as “revenge porn” as the same effect of a release of pure emotions. We all have people in our lives who annoy us, even harm us. Wouldn’t it be great to tell them, “You’re fired”? Then, wouldn’t it be great if they just disappeared—forever?
We find this desire for revenge porn in other areas of American culture. We watch The Godfather or The Sopranos because mob bosses seem to be in control of their lives. If someone is creating a problem, the boss has the guy wacked. The problem disappears—forever. The body is never found.
Despite all the boss’s horrible crimes, we don’t want him to be arrested. We want to savor the fantasy that problems can be eliminated. On Veterans Day, 2023, Trump called his political opponents “vermin” who need to be “eradicated.” He has repeatedly said to the crowd at his rallies that he will be their “retribution.” For what? How? He doesn’t say. The fantasy is more satisfying when it remains vague.
Even though Trump’s crimes are all too apparent, the MAGA world still wants him to win the election. They believe that he will always be on their side. This is, as I wrote in earlier posts, the Big Lie of totalitarianism: The strong leader who acts without restraints will only harm my enemies. We have seen how Trump treats some of his closest allies.
The desire to eradicate—completely eliminate—the problems of our society is what preceded the Holocaust. The problems, in Trump’s view, are anyone who disagrees with him.
This is not a leap. Project 2025 is the blueprint for the next Republican president, presumably Donald Trump, to assume greater power over the Justice Department and other governmental agencies. It is so controversial that the Heritage Foundation has taken it down from their website and Trump is trying to distance himself from it. But twenty-one of the twenty-eight chapters were written by people who have some association with Trump, either working in his campaigns or in his administration. J.D. Vance wrote a preface for Kevin Roberts’ book about Project 2025.
Vance has also written a blub promoting Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them), written by Jack Prosobiec with the help of Joshua Lisec. This is what the book says of “unhuman” liberals: “They don’t even want equality. They just want an excuse to destroy everything. They want an excuse to destroy you.” Once liberals become “unhuman,” they have no legal rights. They can be eliminated.
Vance wrote in his blurb: “In the past, communists marched in the streets waving red flags. Today they march through H.R., college campuses and courtrooms to wage lawfare against good, honest people. Jack Posobiec and Joshua Lisec reveal their plans and show us what to do to fight back.” Vance wants to eliminate the legal rights of the “unhuman.” It is not hard to imagine what comes next.