Former President Donald Trump on Thursday resigned his membership in the American actors union before it met to decide whether to expel the former TV reality star from its ranks.
SAG-AFTRA, which represents some 160,000 actors, journalists and other media professionals, said last month its disciplinary committee would meet to decide on action regarding Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead.
“Who cares!” Trump wrote in a letter that the union released. “I no longer wish to be associated with your union.”
“Thank you,” the guild responded in a two-word statement.
In the letter to SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, Trump wrote:
“I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!”
“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!” Trump wrote.
Trump also wrote that he “also greatly helped the cable news television business (said to be a dying platform with not much time left until I got involved in politics), and created thousands of jobs at networks such as MSDNC and Fake News CNN, among many others.”
“Which brings me to your blatant attempt at free media attention to distract from your 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?’”
Trump also slammed SAG for their “policy failures,” and further said their “disciplinary failures are even more egregious.”
“I no longer wish to be associated with your union,” Trump wrote.
“As such, this letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA.You have done nothing for me,” he added.
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David Whit released a statement, shortly after Trump’s resignation from the union.
“Thank you,” they wrote.
SAG-AFTRA last month said Trump had “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.”
The union had not said when the meeting would be held. Fox News reported that Trump’s disciplinary hearing was set for this week.
*Source: Reuters and Fox News
