Trump Prez Bid Would Change “Apprentice”

Monday, 18 April 2011 | by Pat's Picks

NBC is worried Donald Trump will run for president. But not because they agree or disagree with his politics—because his candidacy could mess up their schedule. The New York Times says if the network were to go ahead and run episodes of Trump’s reality show, “The Apprentice” as planned, other candidates could request equal airtime. When Fred Thompson ran for president, he quit his role on “Law & Order” and to be safe, NBC stopped running episodes that featured him. The network has not taken any definitive steps, nor has planned for a Trump-less “Apprentice,” mainly because NBC big shots have “pervasive doubts” about whether Trump will actually enter the race.

Meredith Vieira interviewed Trump last week on the “Today Show.” Some critics thought Vieira was a little soft on him, especially after she remained quiet when Trump made several inaccurate comments about President Obama’s birthplace. Some questioned whether the soft-ball interview was an NBC strategy: