Donald Trump's candidacy: Former 'The Celebrity Apprentice' contestants reveal whether they support him

Donald Trump is forging his way to become next year's Republican nomination for president, so how do some of his former The Celebrity Apprentice contestants feel about it? Would they vote for Trump in the 2016 election?


Trump has been leading in the polls of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters for months now, and according to CNN, he holds massive advantages over the rest of the field due to the fact voters trust him most to handle the economy (57% prefer Trump), illegal immigration (55%), and ISIS (47%).

Stephen Baldwin, Lou Ferrigno, George Takei, Brandi Glanville, and Penn Jillette all recently told Us Weekly their opinions on Trump potentially becoming our United States president.

"Yes, I would absolutely vote for Trump because I find it refreshing, like many others, that he is changing the game. I believe he can be the kind of presidential quarterback that will assemble the right team around him to enable him and support him to make certain audible calls that I think will have an extremely positive effect on our country," Baldwin, who appeared on the first season of The Celebrity Apprentice, told Us.

"I love Trump because he says things the wrong way sometimes. It's refreshing again to me that he doesn't try to be this perfect politician. What he said about Mexicans was wrong, but boy it sure did open up that topic for discussion in a major way. What he just said about Muslims, I would have to say he probably again didn't say it the right way, but boy, it sure has opened up that topic for Americans to start voicing their opinion of how it should be handled."


Trump previously called undocumented Mexicans who come into the US criminals, drug lords and rapists while making a speech about preventing illegal immigration. And then earlier this month, the business mogul insisted there must be "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" after the Paris and California attacks.

Lou Ferrigno, who competed on Season 5 of Trump's show, said of the candidate, "Yes, I do believe in Trump and vote for him! From my experience on Celebrity Apprentice, I found Donald to be a strong, fierce person with strong morals and foundation! He believes in saving our country and making it stronger and safer against terrorism. We need a leader who has guts to bring back the American way! Our country was built on guns and freedom of speech! He is also very fair in actual dealings despite the rhetoric."

But others are not in favor of Trump ruling this nation.

"I cannot support Mr. Trump's positions or his candidacy. In the course of his campaign, he has stoked the public's fears of terrorism to a near frenzy, all too willing to sacrifice basic civil liberties in the name of security," George Takei of Season 5 explained.

"When pressed, he even said he might have supported the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. I've since invited him to see my Broadway show Allegiance, to see if my own life experiences in the camps might change his mind. He hasn't accepted my invite, but I'm holding a seat open for him, every night."


Glanville, a star on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and former contestant on Dancing with the Stars, comes from a similar line of thinking.

"Politics has never been more entertaining and I just love D.T.'s unapologetic attitude because I think we, as a society, have become hypersensitive," the Season 7 competitor told Us. "That said, I am a Democrat and will vote accordingly -- but I also would be scared to have Trump's reactive nature in charge of the nuclear-bomb button."

And last but not least, Jillette from Season 5 is apparently on the fence a little bit although he does not outwardly support Trump.

"I'm not sure we know what he actually thinks. But he sure is good at convincing people otherwise! I think he's a very capable individual. Whether I'll vote for him or not I'm going to say that until it's time to vote. I want to hear from all of the candidates," Jillette said.

Ian Zerling from Season 7 agreed with Jillette's sentiment.


"There's still a lot of time, so I really want their messages to resonate with me before I make a very important decision," Ziering explained to the magazine. "But whether you agree with the things he said or not, he's certainly a very capable individual. He's done tremendous things in Manhattan and proved his leadership ability. Will he be president? That remains to be seen."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski