Arizona Tribune - Trump's 'The Apprentice' re-runs hit Amazon

The decision to air the program is the latest step in a growing detente between Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose relationship had previously been prickly.

The first season of "The Apprentice" became available on the platform on Monday and by Tuesday was being advertised on the landing page, where it was showing as "#6 in the US."

Amazon said new seasons would become available every week until the seventh season, which will hit the platform in April.

In a statement released by Amazon, Trump welcomed the return of the show -- of which he was a producer, and therefore likely to gain residual revenue from re-runs.

"I look forward to watching this show myself -- such great memories, and so much fun, but most importantly, it was a learning experience for all of us!" the statement said.

It comes after the streaming giant announced it would air a behind-the-scenes documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, and after Bezos was granted a front-row seat to the presidential inauguration in the wake of a $1 million donation.

Bezos has also sought to rein in his Washington Post newspaper, ordering its opinion section not to run columns opposed to "personal liberties and free markets."

While Trump was already a known quantity in New York celebrity circles in the 1980s and 1990s, "The Apprentice" catapulted him to broader national fame when it began airing in 2004.

Producers cast the real estate mogul as an archly successful businessman, who oversaw a cut-throat competition between budding entrepreneurs.

Contestants would vie for Trump's approval, allowing them to progress to the following installment, with those who failed summarily dismissed by Trump's now-famous catchphrase "You're fired!"

The ultimate winner of the series was given a six-figure salary to work somewhere within the Trump empire.

"The Apprentice" was a huge ratings hit for network television for several years and is credited with creating the public persona that Trump leveraged to run for the White House in 2016.

It also spawned dozens of international off-shoots including some that outlasted the US progenitor -- while Trump was fired from the US show in 2015 over remarks he made about Mexican immigrants, the British version continues to be a mainstay on the BBC.

P.Smith--AT