Former cast and crew of The Apprentice say Donald Trump was a sexist lout on set

While filming his hit reality TV show The Apprentice, Donald Trump would regularly make crass and demeaning comments about women, had an open crush on one of the female camera operators, rated women on their breast size, asked male contestants if they would sleep with their female peers, and exhibited other inappropriate or sexist behavior, 21 former crew members and contestants told The Associated Press, 12 of them on the record and nine on condition of anonymity.

Trump "was like, 'Isn't she hot, check her out,' kind of gawking, something to the effect of 'I'd like to hit that,'" recalled Randal Pinkett, the winning contestant in December 2005, noting that Trump had just married Melania Trump months earlier. "We were in the boardroom one time figuring out who to blame for the task, and he just stopped in the middle and pointed to someone and said, 'You'd f--- her, wouldn't you? I'd f--- her. C'mon, wouldn't you?'" said a crew member who signed a non-disclosure agreement. "Everyone is trying to make him stop talking, and the woman is shrinking in her seat." Another crew member remembered the same type of interactions, adding: "There would be about 10 or 12 cameras rolling and getting that footage, which is why everybody was like, this guy just doesn't care."

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks told AP that the "outlandish, unsubstantiated, and totally false claims fabricated by publicity hungry, opportunistic, disgruntled former employees, have no merit whatsoever," adding: "The Apprentice was one of the most successful prime-time television shows of all time and employed hundreds of people over many years, many of whom support Mr. Trump's candidacy."

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Jim Dowd, who did public relations for Trump and his show between 2003 and 2009, called Trump "a lover of women" and a "guy's guy." "Was he complimenting the women?" he said. "Of course. Was he behind closed doors with just the guys rating the women, who were the hotter ones on the show? Yes, he certainly was prone to that." And Poppy Carlig, a contestant whom Trump asked to twirl around for him, told AP she considered that "playful banter," nothing more. "I don't immediately jump to the conclusion that people are having bad intentions with what they are saying," she said "He said I reminded him of his daughter, and I thought that was really touching because I know how much he values his family." Read more at AP.