Donald Trump Resigns From SAG-AFTRA After Union Moves to Expel Him

Gene Maddaus
Updated ·3 min read
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Former president Donald Trump has resigned from SAG-AFTRA, after the union announced last month that it would move to expel him for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

SAG-AFTRA announced on Jan. 19 that it would hold a hearing on whether to expel the former president.

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Trump responded in a letter to the union on Thursday, saying that the union had “done nothing for me.”

“I no longer wish to be associated with your union,” he wrote.

In response, the union said simply: “Thank you.”

Trump had been a member of the guild since 1989,and appeared as himself in various productions, including “Home Alone 2.” His resignation does not prevent him from appearing in film and TV projects, but it does signal industry-wide disapproval that could make that socially unacceptable.

SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris initiated charges against Trump through the union’s disciplinary process, arguing that he had promoted misinformation that led to the Jan. 6 attack. She also noted that the assault on the Capitol had endangered journalists, some of whom are SAG-AFTRA members.

“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,” Carteris said in a statement last month. “There’s a straight line from his wanton disregard for the truth to the attacks on journalists perpetrated by his followers.”

Under the union’s constitution, the charges would have gone to a disciplinary committee hearing. The committee has the power to issue fines, impose sanctions or — in the most severe cases — order an expulsion.

The full text of Trump’s letter of resignation:

Ms. Carteris:

I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!

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!

I’ve also greatly helped the cable news television business (said to be a dying platform with not much time left until I got involved in politics), and created thousands of jobs at networks such as MSDNC and Fake News CNN, among many others.

Which brings me to your blatant attempt at free media attention to distract from your dismal record as a union. 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?”

These, however, are policy failures. Your disciplinary failures are even more egregious.

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.

Regards,

President Donald J. Trump

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