Donald Trump banned from readmission to SAG-AFTRA (original) (raw)
Published on February 7, 2021 06:44PM EST
Not only did SAG-AFTRA thank Donald Trump after the former president resigned from the union, but it's also now barring him from ever joining again.
On Sunday, following a Zoom meeting the day before, SAG-AFTRA passed a resolution to preemptively deny any potential readmission applications from Trump. In a press release, the organization cites the same concerns that led to its leaders filing disciplinary charges against Trump last month, "notably his antagonism of the union's journalist members and disregard for the values and integrity of the union."
"Preventing Donald Trump from ever rejoining SAG-AFTRA is more than a symbolic step," SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement. "It is a resounding statement that threatening or inciting harm against fellow members will not be tolerated. An attack against one is an attack against all."
In January, Carteris and National Executive Director David White filed disciplinary charges against Trump, alleging that he incited the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and sustained a "reckless campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting and ultimately threatening the safety of journalists, many of whom are SAG-AFTRA members," according to the official release.
The requested penalty was expulsion from the union, which represents over 160,000 actors, writers, singers, broadcast journalists, and other media professionals. But the day before the scheduled Feb. 5 hearing to review evidence on the charges, Trump resigned.
"I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares!" Trump stated in his resignation letter on Thursday. "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!"
He ended the lengthy letter by writing, "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."
In response, SAG-AFTRA replied simply: "Thank you."
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