Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with The Apprentice, is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration. "With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday, the AP reports. Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like Survivor and The Voice, but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for The Apprentice, which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name—though the Trump-NBC relationship ended in 2015, the year he launched his first White House run. The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling administration jobs with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both—including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on The Apprentice and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a star. "Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in Television History," Trump wrote in his statement, listing many of his biggest hits before adding, "most notably, The Apprentice" and noting that Burnett "has won 13 Emmy Awards!" Special envoys are usually picked by presidents for hotspots such as the Middle East, per the AP. The UK is not typically a candidate for such posts, but Trump has announced a series of special envoy positions for loyalists.
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