President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Mark Burnett, who produced Trump’s actuality present The Apprentice, as particular envoy to the UK.
“It’s my nice honor to nominate Mark Burnett because the Particular Envoy to the UK,” Trump introduced on his social media platform Reality Social. “With a distinguished profession in tv manufacturing and enterprise, Mark brings a singular mix of diplomatic acumen and worldwide recognition to this necessary position.”
Burnett stated in an announcement, “I’m actually honored to serve The US of America and President Trump as his Particular Envoy to the UK.”
In his announcement, Trump credited Burnett with “creating and producing a few of the greatest exhibits in tv historical past, citing Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice and The Apprentice. Trump additionally cited Burnett’s position as the previous chairman of MGM and because the winner of 13 Emmys.
Burnett’s position is totally different from that of ambassador and doesn’t should undergo a Senate affirmation continuing. Trump already nominated Warren Stephens, a prime donor and billionaire funding banker, to the ambassador put up earlier this month.
Trump stated that Burnett “will work to reinforce diplomatic relations, specializing in areas of mutual curiosity, together with commerce, funding alternatives, and cultural exchanges.”
Burnett left MGM as chairman of its worldwide tv group in 2022 within the wake of Amazon’s acquisition of the studio. He continued to supervise his actuality collection.
Burnett had a chief position in elevating Trump as a primetime fixture because the star of The Apprentice, as the true property developer was offered to the general public as a wildly profitable entrepreneur with astute instincts for recognizing expertise. Trump already had been a star by the point the present debuted, however The Apprentice, which debuted in 2004 and ran via 2017, solid him in a brand new mild. Nonetheless, in an essay in Slate earlier this yr, one of many present’s earlier producers, Invoice Pruitt, got here ahead to assert that the picture offered of Trump was a “delusion we created.”
As Trump grew to become a polarizing determine in American politics, Burnett has remained loyal, albeit he has stored his connections comparatively low key in comparison with others who’ve been in The Apprentice host’s orbit. Burnett was concerned within the planning of Trump’s first inauguration. Throughout Trump’s first marketing campaign, as rumors swirled in regards to the existence of doubtless embarrassing outtakes from The Apprentice, MGM launched an announcement saying that he didn’t have the proper to launch the footage — nor did the manufacturing firm. Trump additionally was an government producer on the present.
