Donald Trump is resigning his membership from SAG-AFTRA after the union moved to expel him. Last month, SAG-AFTRA held a special meeting and found “probable cause” that Trump had “violated the union’s Constitution,” and order to be heard by SAG-AFTRA’s Disciplinary Committee. Trump would have been kicked out of the union if found guilty.
When Trump resigned, SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White responded with two words: “Thank you.” Trump wrote a letter addressed to Carteris, which mentioned the films and TV shows he’s been in over the years. The former president also took a jab at Carteris.
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“I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!” Trump wrote. “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 goes on to write about the impact he’s made in the cable news business, claiming that he “created thousands of jobs at networks such as MSDNC and Fake News CNN, among many others.” He then accused SAG-AFTRA of not helping the members when needed.
“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 continued. He ends the letter by writing he no longer wishes to be “associated with your union” and then stating “you have done nothing for me.”
Trump’s expulsion stems from the Capitol riots that took place last month. After the riots, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement that said it “condemns, in the strongest terms, yesterday’s attack on America’s foundational principles.” The statement went on to say, “Rioters, emboldened and encouraged by a sitting president and his enablers who have peddled baseless conspiracy theories, stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to subvert democracy. As a union and a democratic organization, we are appalled by this attack on the values we hold most sacred.”
