Trump appoints 'The Apprentice' producer as special envoy to Britain

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Mark Burnett, the producer who helped turn him into a household name with The Apprentice, as special envoy to Britain.

"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 wrote in a social media post, noting that Burnett had won 13 Emmy Awards.

Burnett, 64, is perhaps best known for reshaping American television with the reality TV hit Survivor in 2000. He also helped produce shows like Shark Tank, The Voice and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

But it is The Apprentice that will forever bind Burnett and Trump. The show, which debuted in 2004 on NBC and ran through 2017, was credited with rehabilitating Trump's image after it was tarnished by financial difficulties. As The New Yorker put it, the reality show "mythologized him anew, and on a much bigger scale, turning him into an icon of American success."

The show presented Trump as the ultimate successful, self-made billionaire. On it, contestants competed to prove their business skills through a series of challenges. One would be eliminated at the end of each episode with Trump's catchphrase, "You're fired!" He wielded it on the campaign trail, too. "Kamala, you're fired!" Trump said frequently at his rallies this year.

The show eventually spawned a spinoff, "The Celebrity Apprentice." Trump initially hosted that program, too, but he ended up being fired himself. In 2015, NBC severed ties with him after he referred to Mexican immigrants as rapists and murderers in a speech announcing his bid for the White House.

Burnett played a pivotal role in one of Trump's first major scandals, when several women came forward in 2016 to say they had been groped or assaulted by Trump, and a video surfaced of Trump boasting that he could sexually assault women and get away with it. Burnett resisted intense pressure to release footage from the "Apprentice" set that some former crew members said could reveal Trump acting in vulgar ways.

But days after Burnett said in a statement in October 2016 that he did "not have the ability nor the right to release footage or other material from 'The Apprentice,'" he also distanced himself from Trump.

"I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy. I am NOT 'Pro-Trump,'" Burnett said in a second statement.

"Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign," he added.

But, by year's end, he was involved in planning the festivities for Trump's inaugural week.

It is unclear what Burnett's duties as special envoy will be. Trump has already named Warren Stephens, an investment banker and billionaire, as his choice for ambassador to Britain.

Trump said that Burnett, who was born in London, would "work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities and cultural exchanges."

Also unknown is whether Burnett's prospective role will require Senate confirmation. Since 2023, special envoys have required Senate confirmation if they meet a specific standard set out in US law, but Trump and a Republican-controlled Senate could decide that Burnett's position does not meet that standard.

Burnett served as president of United Artists Media Group from 2014 to 2018 and as chair of MGM Worldwide Television Group from 2018 to 2022. The only child of Ford factory workers, Burnett was raised in Dagenham, Essex. He served in the British army and in 1982 immigrated to the United States.

Trump has announced several ambassadorial and special envoy positions over the past week, including one for his former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, whom he chose as envoy for "special missions."

On Saturday, Trump also named Tilman J. Fertitta, the billionaire owner of the Houston Rockets, to be his ambassador to Italy. Fertitta is the owner of the restaurant group Landry's, and he became the star of the CNBC show "Billion Dollar Buyer."