‘Who cares!’: Trump resigns from SAG-AFTRA in scathing letter
Former President Donald Trump ripped Hollywood’s largest labor union in a resignation letter Thursday ahead of a “so-called” disciplinary hearing — telling the entertainment industry union, “Who cares!”
Trump, a member of SAG-AFTRA for more than 30 years, faced expulsion after its national board last month ruled that he had violated the union’s constitution — by allegedly inciting the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Deadline reported.
“I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!” Trump wrote in a signed letter to union president Gabrielle Carteris — who played Andrea Zuckerman on “Beverly Hills, 90210” for a decade.
The former reality TV star-turned-commander-in-chief then rattled off his own film and TV credits while taking a swipe at Carteris.
“While I’m not familiar with your work, I’m very proud of my work on movies such as Home Alone 2, Zoolander and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; and television shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saturday Night Live, and of course, one of the most successful shows in television history, The Apprentice – to name just a few!” he wrote.
Trump then panned SAG-AFTRA for having a “dismal record as a union.”
“Your organization has done little for its members, and nothing for me – besides collecting dues and promoting dangerous un-American policies and ideas – as evident by your massive unemployment rates and lawsuits from celebrated actors, who even recorded a video asking, ‘Why isn’t the union fighting for me?'” he wrote.
He concluded the missive, “As such, this letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA. You have done nothing for me.”
In January, after the national board decided that Trump committed a violation, Carteris said in a statement, “Donald Trump attacked the values that this union holds most sacred – democracy, truth, respect for our fellow Americans of all races and faiths, and the sanctity of the free press.
“There’s a straight line from his wanton disregard for the truth to the attacks on journalists perpetrated by his followers.”
SAG-AFTRA’s Disciplinary Committee was set to hold a hearing on the allegations against Trump, which could’ve resulted in him getting booted from the union if found guilty.
He was also accused of “sustaining a reckless campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting and ultimately threatening the safety of journalists, many of whom are SAG-AFTRA members.”
Carteris and national executive director David White responded to Trump’s letter — with a simple “Thank you.”