Donald Trump resigned from the Screen Actors Guild Association-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in a head-tilting letter.
Trump tried to beat SAG-AFTRA to the punch by resigning from the organization before they could expel him. USA Today reports SAG-AFTRA was looking to remove him following his incitement of violence that led to the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump sent a letter to SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris on Thursday, expressing that the organization has done “nothing” for him.
“I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!” He continued: “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.”
On Jan. 19, the Screen Actors Guild said the SAG-AFTRA board voted that it is very likely that Trump violated its guidelines for membership. They highlighted his involvement in the insurrection that took place on Jan. 6 “and in sustaining a reckless campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting and ultimately threatening the safety of journalists, many of whom are SAG-AFTRA members.”
Without acknowledging any of his heinous acts, he continued to talk about his personal successes, saying he “created thousands of jobs at networks such as MSDNC and Fake News CNN, among many others.” He added that the union has a “dismal record” and has “done little for its members” aside from collecting membership dues and “promoting dangerous un-American policies and ideas.”
In conclusion, he wrote, “I no longer wish to be associated with your union. As such, this letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA. You have done nothing for me.”
In response, Carteris and National Executive Director David White simply wrote “Thank you” in a statement.
