Former President Donald Trump Resigns From SAG-AFTRA After Union Moves To Expel Him
Former President Donald Trump may have elected not to resign during the final days of his term amid a bipartisan effort to remove him, but he’s taking a different approach with SAG-AFTRA. On Thursday, he formally renounced his membership with the labor union, which represents entertainment and media professionals worldwide.
In a letter addressed to SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris that was subsequently posted on its website, Trump levied heavy criticism at the organization and claimed that it had failed to properly represent its members or do anything for him specifically outside of collect membership dues.
“Ms. Carteris: I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!” he wrote.
“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?'”
He closed the letter by stating that he no longer wished to be a part of the organization, formally tendering his resignation and again alleging that it had done nothing for him.
The video that Trump was referencing was released late last year after SAG-AFTRA announced it would be making modifications to member health plans. As reported by Deadline, actors Clancy Brown, Whoopi Goldberg, Mark Hamill, Morgan Freeman and others voiced their concerns in the video about making such changes during a global pandemic.
A related lawsuit accused the plan cuts of discriminating illegally based on age.
As reported by Variety in January, Carteris initiated charges against Trump for inciting the march on the U.S. Capitol that ultimately resulted in a full-scale riot and the deaths of five people. In her statement announcing an upcoming disciplinary committee hearing, she strongly condemned the former commander-in-chief.
“Donald Trump attacked the values that this union holds most sacred — democracy, truth, respect for our fellow Americans of all races and faiths, and the sanctity of the free press,” she said. “There’s a straight line from his wanton disregard for the truth to the attacks on journalists perpetrated by his followers.”
Trump’s former association with SAG-AFTRA had come as a result of his numerous television and film credits, many of which he boasted about in his resignation letter.
In addition to his work on The Apprentice — which he has reportedly considered rebooting — Trump made appearances in movies like Home Alone 2, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Zoolander. His television credits include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and guest shots on Saturday Night Live.
