Heavens to Betsy: Hollywood Threatens to Toss Trump From the Actors Union

Donald Trump may soon be out of a job — in Hollywood.

Tinseltown is considering kicking him out.

Apparently, the damage to his business empire and political position isn’t enough.

The West Coast is contemplating a punting of POTUS — from the actors union.

It may be strange to think of him as part of the Hollywood establishment, but — before he added an “R” to his name — among other things, that’s exactly what he was.

A lot’s changed in five years.

As reported by Deadline, Article XIV of the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) Constitution lays it out:

A member may be reprimanded, censured, fined, suspended or expelled from membership in the Union for any of the following offenses:

Violation of any of the provisions of this Constitution, or the policies, rules or regulations adopted by the Union or any of its Locals.

Engaging in actions antagonistic to the interests or integrity of the Union, any of its affiliated Locals or its membership, including providing services covered by the Union’s jurisdiction for any employer declared unfair by the National Board.

That “antagonistic” part may prove…wait for it…problematic.

Apropos, the union’s national board of directors convened Tuesday morning for a special session to discuss disciplinary action against the nation’s highest-ranking executive.

And — in case you forgot — former star of The Apprentice.

Fancy a walk down memory lane?

Let’s go:

Trump’s been a member of the union, and — before SAG and AFTRA’s 2012 merger — each separate union, since 1989.

But the process of ending a long run has much farther to go.

From Deadline:

Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the national board, but Tuesday’s meeting is just the the start of the process, which could take weeks to complete and includes a hearing on the charges against him.

Officially, the union doesn’t take political sides.

However, as noted by Deadline, it “has criticized Trump in the past for calling the news media ‘the enemy of the American people.’”

And this probably doesn’t help:

The union’s membership includes thousands of broadcast journalists.

Purportedly, January 6th tipped the scales.

Deadline describes things thusly:

Trump exhorted a crowd of angry supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol and to “fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” The violent insurrection that ensued led the House of Representatives to impeach Trump for the second time, accusing the President of having “willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — lawless action at the Capitol.”

Following the chaos, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement…about white supremacy:

SAG-AFTRA condemns in the strongest terms yesterday’s attack on America’s foundational principles. 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. The disgraceful scenes coming out of the nation’s capital have undermined America’s institutions and its standing in the world. Displays of the Confederate flag and other symbols of white supremacy and hate were meant to subjugate and terrorize people of color and those of certain faiths. This poison attacks the diverse membership of our union and the labor movement. Yesterday’s attack was an inevitable result of sustained misinformation campaigns that attempt to discredit journalists while weaving a counter-narrative based on falsehoods. Our members include broadcast journalists, who have been increasingly targeted by extremists who feel threatened by the facts. The number of attacks on journalists has spiked in the last year, and members of yesterday’s mob attacked broadcast journalists and destroyed cameras and other equipment, and left graffiti on a Capitol door reading “Murder the Media,” leaving no question where they stand. The reckless rhetoric by some leaders—including many members of Congress who continued to perpetuate lies even after the attack—is damaging the fabric of our nation and costing lives. SAG-AFTRA is nonpartisan, representing members of all political views, but we cannot be silent as an angry, violent group attempts to rob the American people of their right to self-governance. We denounce this attempted insurrection and all who support it.

It’s not the union’s first comment on the Commander-in-Chief.

In October 2019, 400+ delegates unanimously passed a resolution supporting a “free and unencumbered press”:

We are living in an extraordinary time when the news media has been attacked as spreading false stories and as an enemy of the people. SAG-AFTRA has on at least two occasions since the last national convention, issued strong statements on behalf of a free and unencumbered press. Both of those occasions came after Trump made false and insulting remarks about the media.

And now here we are, with Hollywood on the verge of shooting down one of its stars.

Do you remember Trump on TV?

He’s spent solid time at your cineplex, too.

A few credits:

Television

All My Children (1992)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994)

The Nanny (1996)

Suddenly Susan (1997)

The Drew Carey Show (1997), NightMan (1997)

Spin City (1998)

Sex and the City (1999)

The Job (2001)

Days of Our Lives (2005)

Film

Ghosts Can’t Do It (1989)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Across the Sea of Time (1995)

Eddie (1996)

Celebrity (1998)

Zoolander (2001)

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

Marmalade (2004)