トランプ氏のリアリティー番組「アプレンティス」　アマゾンで再放送

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】ドナルド・トランプ米大統領の名を全米に知らしめたリアリティー番組「アプレンティス　セレブたちのビジネス・バトル」の再放送が米国のアマゾンプライムビデオで１０日から開始された。トランプ氏と米アマゾン・ドットコム創業者で富豪のジェフ・ベゾス氏との関係改善を示す新たな証拠とみられている。（写真は、米アマゾン・ドットコム創業者ジェフ・ベゾス氏〈左〉とドナルド・トランプ米大統領）
　テック業界の大物たちとトランプ氏との関係は第１次政権時代は冷え込んでいたが、アップル、アマゾン、グーグル、メタの最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）や創設者はトランプ陣営に多額の寄付を行い、１月の大統領就任式では最前列の席に座る厚遇を受けるなど、トランプ氏との歩み寄りを示してきた。
　リベラル系の有力紙ワシントン・ポストは米大統領選で長年、民主党候補を支持してきたが、同紙を現在所有するベゾス氏はオピニオン欄について「個人の自由と自由市場」に異議を唱える意見は掲載しないよう指示。大統領選前に民主党候補のカマラ・ハリス前副大統領の支持を表明する社説の掲載を阻止したともされる。
　「アプレンティス」の第１シーズンは１０日に米国のプライムビデオで配信がスタートし、翌１１日には「米国内第６位」と表示された。
　アマゾンによれば、毎週新シーズンが配信され、４月に第７シーズンが配信される。
　アマゾンが発表した声明で、トランプ氏は同番組の復活を歓迎。「この番組を見るのが楽しみだ。素晴らしい思い出があり、とても楽しい時間を過ごせた。何よりも、私たち全員にとって学びを得る経験となった！」と述べている。
　トランプ氏はプロデューサーも務めており、再放送によって収益を得る可能性が高い。
　アマゾンはこれに先立ち、同社のストリーミング部門がファーストレディーのメラニア氏に関するドキュメンタリーの配信決定も発表している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/12-17:00）

Re-runs of The Apprentice reality show that propelled Donald Trump into the US national consciousness, are showing on Prime Video, the latest indication of warming relations between the US president and Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos.
Following a frosty few years between tech titans and the US president, the move is another sign of a rapprochment that saw key figures from Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta bag front-row seats at Trump's January inauguration after making hefty donations.
Bezos has also sought to make his Washington Post newspaper less hostile to the president, ordering its opinion section not to run columns opposed to personal liberties and free markets, and quashing its planned endorsement of Democrat Kamala Harris before the US election.
Amazon's announcement comes after its streaming arm said it would also air a behind-the-scenes documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.
The first season of The Apprentice became available on the platform on Monday and by Tuesday was being advertised on the landing page, where it was showing as #6 in the US.
Amazon said new seasons would become available every week until the seventh season, which will be released in April.
In a statement released by Amazon, Trump welcomed the return of the show -- of which he was a producer, and therefore likely to gain revenue from re-runs.
I look forward to watching this show myself -- such great memories, and so much fun, but most importantly, it was a learning experience for all of us! he said.
Mark Burnett, the British-American producer considered the brains behind the format, said he hoped the show would attract a new generation of viewers, two decades after it first aired.
The Apprentice is one of the best shows that I ever produced, he said in a statement.
The charismatic onscreen presence of President Donald J. Trump made it a bona fide hit! Now, thanks to Prime Video, a whole new audience will experience a new season every Monday.
While Trump was already a celebrity figure in New York in the 1980s and 1990s, The Apprentice catapulted him to broader national fame when it launched in 2004.
Producers cast the real estate mogul as an archly successful businessman, who oversaw a cut-throat competition between budding entrepreneurs.
Contestants would vie for Trump's approval, allowing them to progress to the following installment, with those who failed summarily dismissed by Trump's now-famous catchphrase You're fired!
The ultimate winner of the series was given a six-figure salary to work within the Trump empire.
The Apprentice was a huge network television hit for several years and is credited with creating the public persona that Trump leveraged to run for the White House in 2016.
It also spawned dozens of international off-shoots including some that outlasted the US progenitor. While Trump was fired from the US show in 2015 over remarks he made about Mexican immigrants, the British version is still shown on the BBC.
The Apprentice is owned by MGM Alternative, whose parent company was bought by Amazon three years ago.