As former president Donald Trump awaits possible disciplinary action from Hollywood’s actors union, a new report states that an expulsion from the guild would hurt any media projects that the former president hopes to launch.
Trump is facing possible expulsion from SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s largest labor union that represents thousands of screen actors and TV journalists. The guild is reportedly contemplating expelling Trump over the Capitol Hill riots as well as his criticism of the mainstream media, which union leaders claim represents “actual harm” to its broadcast journalist members.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that an expulsion would make Trump a pariah in the media world. “I think expulsion would send a loud, clear message to SAG-AFTRA companies to consider not engaging him,” attorney Ivy Kagan Bierman told the trade magazine.
Most major Hollywood studios and networks are guild signatories. Trump hasn’t announced any future projects since leaving the White House, but pundits have long pushed the theory that he will launch some kind of media venture.
Trump has been a SAG-AFTRA member for decades, having starred in NBC’s The Apprentice and several TV commercials. The Reporter noted that Trump is now a resident of Florida, which is a right-to-work state that can’t force union membership as a pre-condition to employment.
Some experts believe that SAG-AFTRA won’t expel Trump, noting that the guild hasn’t expelled any actors implicated in #MeToo scandals. “I’m not aware of them having ever expelled someone for bad behavior,” attorney Schuyler Moore told the Reporter. “I’m not entirely sure they can.”
The last time SAG expelled a member was in 2001, when the union took action against a small group of actors for working during a strike.
As Breitbart News has reported, SAG-AFTRA leaders have asserted “probable cause” that the former president has “violated the union’s Constitution.” The matter will be heard by the union’s Disciplinary Committee, which could decide among several different punishments, including a reprimand, suspension, or expulsion.
Guild national director David White initiated the charges against Trump at the request of guild president Gabrielle Carteris, the former Beverly Hills 90210 star.
SAG-AFTRA’s move against Trump comes as the guild is contending with a deluge of negative publicity over cuts to its health plan. Actor Ed Asner is leading a class-action lawsuit claiming that the changes have adversely impacted elderly members while the country is in the middle of a pandemic.
Stars including Morgan Freeman, Amy Schumer, Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Sheen, and Mark Hamill are participating in a campaign attacking union leadership, claiming that nearly 12,000 guild members face being kicked off the plan, most of whom are elderly.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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