What 'The Apprentice' Gets Right (And Wrong) About The True Story

Answer:He said no. Everyone who knew him said yes.

The Full Story: Cohn was famously bigoted and opposed the things he himself held.POLITICO's Michael Krusedescribed Cohn as:

[A] lawyer who hated lawyers, a Jewish person who hated Jewish people, and a gay person, fiercely hidden, who hated gay people.

Cohn fought against gay rights, adding to his homophobia.Cohn actively fought against gay rights.Those who knew the truth saw Cohn rationalize that though he slept with other men, he was too powerful to be classified as gay.He rationalized that he was too powerful to be classified as gay.When diagnosed with HIV, he claimed it was liver disease.

According to former boyfriend Wallace Adams:

Even at the end, he refused to admit he was gay or that he had AIDS.

Answer:Basically, yes. Roy Cohn had a three-part success plan similar to what he tells Donald Trump inThe Apprentice, if not exactly.

The Full Story:In The Apprentice, Roy Cohn gives young Donald Trump a three-point success strategy “for winning,” which Trump adopts and repeats by the film's end:

(1) Attack, attack, attack; (2) admit nothing, deny everything; and (3) no matter what happens, claim victory and never admit defeat.

The words change a bit, but the feeling matches what Cohn preached in real life. According toauthor Sam Roberts:

Roy mastered situational immorality… He used a three-dimensional strategy: 1. Never settle, never surrender. 2. Counter-attack, counter-sue immediately. 3. No matter what happens, no matter how deep you get into the mess, claim victory and never admit defeat.

Anyone who watched Trump's political career will find this familiar. Cohn signed as Trump's lawyer on a lawsuit in the '70s, and he built a close relationship with Trump, who became a protégé.

Cohn, a man describedas snakey, savage, amoral, abrasive, and “a new strain of son of a b*tch,” gained power through his aggressive “by whatever means necessary” approach, openly throwing outethical and legal considerations.Cohn and Trump were close. Many argue, asThe Apprenticeshows, that Cohn wasthekey influence on Trump becoming Trump. Columnist Liz Smith wrote, “Donald lost his moral compass when he made an alliance with Roy Cohn.”

Historians or filmmakers can guess the exact influence Cohn had on Trump, but they cannot know it. It wasfamously reported, however, that during a moment in his presidency, frustrated by the lack of good, reliable advisors, Trump asked, “Where's my Roy Cohn?”

Answer: Yes. Although we do not know all the details of Donald and Ivana Trump’s courtship and fast engagement, what we know matches many parts shown inThe Apprentice, specifically about the prenup.

The Full Story:Donald Trump spotted Ivana Zelníčková at Maxwell’s Plum in New York. Trump used his pull to get her a table. The next year, they signed an antenuptial agreement and married in April.

Roy Cohnwaswas on the scene with anan onerous prenup.Ivana had a lawyer present in reality. Screenwriter Gabriel Sherman says,However:

Roy arranged a lawyer for her. That lawyer was basically involved with Roy. It was corrupt.

Ivana’s 1990 divorce deposition shows a line about giving back all gifts during a divorce appeared in an early draft. Trump chased her to the sidewalk to convince her to return.toThe New York Times:

Mr. Trump apologized, sensing her sorrow. Ivana Trump later testified in a divorce deposition. He said his lawyer had the idea. “It is just one of those Roy Cohn numbers.”

Friends of the couple speak to a decline in their marriage, like the movie shows. Ivana became more helpful as a business partner. Trump’s romantic interest shrank. He may have felt jealousof his wife’s success:Donald thought he made her. He placed her there, but he could not stand it. The student surpassed her master.

Donald thought he won her. He placed her there, but he could not handle it. The student beat her master.

Yes, but at a different time than the movie showed.The Full Story:

One of the most heartbreaking moments inThe Apprenticehappens during dinner at Mar-a-Lago. The ailing Roy Cohn proudly tells Ivana Trump that Trump gave him diamond cuff links—only for her to say they are cheap knock-offs.This happens during a Mar-a-Lago dinner. The ailing Roy Cohn proudly tells Ivana Trump Trump gave him diamond cuff links, but she told him they were cheap knock-offs.

Trump gifted his lawyer cuff links and buttons in a Bulgari box after a big legal win. The timing and delivery of this news were fictionalized; Ivana Trump did not inform Cohn during a Mar-a-Lago dinner.It is doubtful Cohn knew the cuff links were fake. His lover, Peter Fraser, revealed this after appraising them following Cohn’s death.This gift happened on a different occasion, after a major legal victory.

Cohn likely did not know the cuff links were fake. His lover, Peter Fraser, revealed this after appraising them following Cohn’s death.

The Full Story:Yes. Frederick “Freddy” Trump Jr., Donald’s older brother, died from a heart attack linked to alcoholism at age 42.

“a chauffeur in the sky,” and his younger brother reportedly told him “you're wasting your time.”As the eldest son, Fred Jr. should have taken over the real estate business, but he chose to be a pilot. This caused tension in the family, specifically between Fred Sr. and Donald Trump.Perhaps it was my fault and perhaps my father’s fault for pushing him into business because he lacked skill, because he disliked the business.Fred Sr. called him “a chauffeur in the sky,” and his younger brother reportedly told him, “you're wasting your time.”

Donald Trumpadmitted as muchin various interviews, tellingPlayboyTrump told Playboy in 1990, “Our family environment, the competitiveness, was a negative for Fred.” He shared this in a CBS interview that same year:

Perhaps it was my fault, and perhaps my father’s fault, for pushing him into business because he did not like it or was not good at it.

Freddy Jr. married and had kids. After developing alcoholism in the '60s, he stopped flying in the '70s. He divorced and moved back in with his parents before he died in 1981. Trump cites his brother’s alcoholism as affecting his life and why he doesn't drink. Freddy’s friends disagree.

The president often tells the story poorly. He puts Fred Jr. in a bad light. He paints himself as the good brother who avoided alcohol.

The ApprenticeThe show shows Trump turning his back on his brother during a difficult time. Trump said he would visit his brother in his final years, but "there [wasn’t] much we could do at the time."

Mary TrumpOne of Freddy’s two children described her grandfather as a "high-functioning sociopath" and "Donald Trump saidHe was watching a movie the night his brother died. Mary and Fred III have a strained family relationship because they were cut from their grandfather’s will and faced legal fights.

Answer:Yes. Donald Trump, his father Fred, and Trump Management faced a federal lawsuit for racial discrimination in their New York housing developments.

The Full Story: In 1973, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit.The lawsuit targeted the Trumps.The lawsuit used evidence gathered by testers for the New York City Human Rights Division. Testers checked for racial bias by seeing if white customers seeking a service got the same treatment as a person of color denied service. In this instance, a Black man applying to rent an apartment was told the unit was gone, while the white tester saw the apartment. Further checks suggested building superintendents turned down Black tenants because of Trump Management's orders.

After a two-year legal fight, the government offered a settlement. The Trumps accepted it. (The film shows this as a win after bringing Cohn in, but it was actually a weaker settlementthan the Trumps first received. They had to take steps to welcome Black applicants and learn the Fair Housing Act. They did not have to admit fault. Trump mentioned this when the case came up in the 2016 presidential debate:

Yes. When I was young, I joined my father's company—it had a real estate business in Brooklyn and Queens… And we, along with many, manyother companies across the country—a federal lawsuit sued us. We settled the case with zero admission of guilt.

According to Washington Postreporter and Trump biographer Michael Kranish, while there wereother cases, the lawsuit against the Trumps was "one of the largest cases of the time" and difficult to fight. Also,

It was a suit aimed directly at them. Donald Trump remains clearly upset about this today.

Answer:Yes, he played a major part in their trial and publicly boasted about sending both to their deaths.

The Full Story:After a highly contested and historic trial, Julius and Ethel RosenbergThese two became the only people executed in the US for Cold War-era espionage. They were found guilty of passing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union.

The severity of both sentences is doubtful. Evidence shows Julius Rosenberg passed some information, but it was likely not important intel. Ethel's part in the scheme seemed weak, even then. In a chilling moment inThe Apprentice, Cohn explains his role in the Rosenbergs' deaths, focusing on Ethel, despite public sympathy for her as a mother.

Cohn, pictured left, served as chief counsel for Senator Joseph McCarthy's investigations committee. He drove the red scare and prosecuted the Rosenberg case, pushing for their execution up to the point of prosecutorial misconduct.the point of prosecutorial misconduct. Cohn revealed in his autobiography that judge Irving Kaufman asked him for advice, conflicted about sentencing Ethel. The unscrupulous Cohn claimed hepersuaded KaufmanCohn said, “The way I see it… She is worse than Julius.”

Answer:Inconclusive. It depends on which story you believe.

The Full Story:During a deposition for their 1990 divorce, Ivana Trump used the word “rape” to describe a 1989 incident where Donald Trump confronted her after he had scalp surgery. (The film shows this scene after Ivana criticizes her husband's receding hairline.)

The 1993 book states:Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, which first reported on the deposition contents (public New York divorce records are unavailable), Ivana described her husband pulling hair from her scalp in return, followed by a violent sexual assault she told friends, “He raped me.”

Trump called the story “obviously false” and denied ever getting scalp surgery. Before the release of Lost Tycoon, Trump and his lawyersissued a statement from Ivana printed on the first page, which minimizes what happened:

During a deposition for my divorce case, I stated my husband raped me… [O]n one occasion in 1989, Mr. Trump and I had relations where he treated me very differently than in our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated; the love and tenderness he usually showed me were gone. I called this a “rape,” but I do not want my words taken as literal or criminal.

In 2015, renewed interest in the story during Trump's campaign and more sexual assault claims caused Ivana to retract her words:

I read comments from nearly 30 years ago during high tension in my divorce from Donald. The story lacks merit. Donald and I are best friends; we raised three children we love and are proud of them.

Answer: Yes, Trump said so, based on the book "The Fixers".The Fixers.

The Full Story:As seen inThe Apprentice, the relationship between Trump and Cohn declined as Cohn's health worsened. Trump has long been described asa germaphobePeople who worked with him said he washes his hands as many times as possible because he told Howard Stern it "could be a psychological problem."

After hosting a farewell dinner for a former friend at Mar-a-Lago in the film, workers fumigated the dining area. According to The Fixers, written by Joe Palazzolo and Michael Rothfeld:

Dining with friends at Mar-a-Lago in late December, three weeks before assuming the presidency, Trump shared another memory. This memory came from the resort and Cohn's last visit there, a few months before he died of AIDS. Trump recalled to his guests that after Cohn left, “I had to spend a fortune to fumigate all the dishes and silverware.”

Answer:Yes, Cohn and Trump attended the famous, artsy New York parties of the '70s and '80s. Trump did not always like those settings.Trump met Andy Warhol.This happened on several occasions, including when the artist came to Cohn's party.

The Full Story: About the party scene at Roy Cohn's party filled with debauchery,ApprenticedirectorAli Abassi remarked:

Historical accuracy does not depend on whether that party happened on October 7 or November 12 in 1978. Look at how young Donald stood very straight, trying to find his place, and he failed. Imagine this character going to Studio 54 where people were partying and taking drugs. It will take more time for that ice to melt.

Trump admitted he was a regular at Studio 54, saying, “I’d go there a lot with dates and with friends, and with lots of people,” andfirsthand accountssuggest Abassi's depiction of him as somewhat reserved and out of step with the scene is accurate. Studio 54 busboy Richie Notar said:

No one remembered him there the first night. He was nothing. He never went on the dance floor.

Even when he became more of a regular, socialite Nikki Haskell reported Trump's party scene focused on business:

He understood it was a chance to be noticed. He did not attend the drug-fueled disco frenzy. He went there to be seen with famous people, to network, to make deals; while others cut cocaine.

Answer:Inconclusive. It depends on which story you believe.

The Full Story: Harry Hurt III's book based on Ivana Trump's sworn testimony during the Trumps' 1990 divorce.Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives Of Donald TrumpReports state Trump got scalp reduction surgery, also called alopecia reduction, in 1989.

The surgery, shown in a Frankenstein-like moment in the film, aims tofix hair loss.The surgery cuts out the bald spot and stitches the skin back. This causes pain and headaches from the tight scalp. Ivana's deposition shows her plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven Hoefflin, did the surgery on her husband. Hoefflin also did liposuction on his chin and waist. (Hoefflin has operated on many stars, from Michael Jackson to Elizabeth Taylor.)

After the divorce deposition, Ivana Trump changed her statement. She retracted parts, especially the part where her husband, hurting from the surgery, attacked her.

Trump never admitted to getting plastic surgery. In 1993, he denied the events in Hunt's book—sexually assaulting his wife and getting scalp surgery—ever happened:

It’s false. It is incorrect. A guy without talent did this. [Hunt] is an unattractive, vindictive, and jealous person.

Answer:Blackmailing the DOJ was made up for the movie. But Cohn reportedly kept secret tapes full of dirty laundry for his clients.

The Full Story: While Cohn’s life motto might mirror the film's idea—'You have to be willing to do anything to win'—screenwriterGabriel ShermanGabriel Sherman admitted the scene where the pair blackmailed a Department of Justice official with illicit photos of him and a cabana boy was "a fictionalization." However,Sherman claims:

Roy's use of blackmail, especially taping phone calls, is well documented. Roy had a woman in his basement who ran a switchboard and recorded all the conversations.

Regarding Trump’s 40-year tax break, whichThe ApprenticeShows more Cohn pressure behind the scenes. Trump says he got it "Because I didn’t ask for 50." Sherman suggests something like what he imagined for the movie happened in real life:

Stanley Friedman, the deputy mayor then, signed the deal at the last second before leaving office. He then worked for Roy Cohn at his law firm a week later.

Richard Ravitch, former chairman of the state economic development agency, says Trump did take agloves-offapproach:

Trump raised his voice, threatened me, and said, “If you don’t give me a tax abatement, I’m going to have you fired.” I replied, “Get the f*ck out of here.”

(Though Trump got the abatement, Ravitch was not fired.)

Answer:No. Their relationship cooled near the end of Cohn's life, but they did not fight publicly on the streets.

The Full Story: Roy In 1984, Roy Cohn's health worsened after he got an HIV diagnosis. Trump still interacted with Cohn, but those near Cohn report Trump distanced himself.Trump notably distanced himself.Cohn's secretary said Trump “dropped him like a hot potato.” Journalist David L. Marcus reported this.Journalist David L. Marcus reported this.A cousin of Cohn's, this is mentioned.The Apprentice.The scene where Trump publicly rejects his former friend is “creative fiction.”

In those final months, Roy admitted to the interviewer he felt disappointed by Trump's silence.

As his health worsened, Cohn faced the IRS filing for millions in back taxes and disbarment for “dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation.” Trump testified as a character witness at his trial, but Cohn lost his license before he died. Trump attended the funeral but did not speak publicly.

Answer:Impossible to know.

The Full Story: Because he kept his sexuality a secret, Roy Cohn likely would not have admitted that much if he had romantic feelings for Donald Trump.The Apprentice.However, The Apprentice contains subtle moments suggesting Cohn had more than just friendly feelings.

Cohn's cousin, writer David L. Marcus, wrote this.Marcus stated he always suspected this.Cohn was attracted to Trump. People who knew Cohn say he surrounded himself with attractive straight men for whom he had unrequited affection.As one lawyer put it, this occurred.“Thwarted loves obsessed Roy Cohn’s life.”

Still, it is impossible to say for sure if Cohn felt any such feelings for the man he called his “best friend.”The Apprentice.The Apprentice shows Cohn angry at Trump's plan to marry Ivana Zelníčková, and Cohn quickly discussed Trump's prenuptial agreement. Marcus sees this as a moment mixing fact and fiction.

We do not know if Roy felt rejected by the person he desired; we do know he created a tough prenup for Ivana.

Answer: Yes. A New York TimesA New York Times article from 1976 compares Trump to the actor pictured.

The Full Story:In The ApprenticeAfter Trump secured tax breaks to turn the Commodore Hotel into a Hyatt (through Cohn's blackmail), Trump gained recognition, pleasing the media that compared him to actor Robert Redford.

Film experts might think this is a stretch for those only familiar with 21st-century Trump, but the film uses a 1976 New York Times piecethat shows young Donald.

He is tall, lean, and blond. He has dazzling white teeth and looks much like Robert Redford. He drives a silver Cadillac with DJT on the plates. He dates sleek fashion models, joins the most elegant clubs, and estimates his worth at 30 years old is "more than $200 million."

Trump pursued bold real estate moves. He called himself “publicity shy.” He saw his moves in the Manhattan real estate market changing things for the family. Business peers questioned if his audacity would work or if it was just a publicity stunt, or if a powerful team like Roy Cohn was behind it.