‘Home Alone 2’ actor Donald Trump quits SAG before it can kick him out

Since leaving office and social media in January, Donald Trump has kept things relatively quiet. Sure, his impeachment trial awaits and there’s still a residual QAnon kook carrying the torch in Congress, but the man himself is no longer the sole driver of mass-media consumption. On Thursday, Trump made a rare public statement in a letter to SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris, announcing his resignation from the guild, after it threatened to expel him for his role in spurring the January 6 Capitol attack.

Say what you will about the man, but he knows how to kick off a grievously petty letter. “I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership,” Trump writes. “Who cares!” He then launches into a primer on his onscreen roles, including Home Alone 2, Zoolander, and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. And don’t forget The Apprentice, “one of the most successful shows in television history.”

Before announcing his immediate resignation, claiming the union has "done nothing" for him, Trump extolls his own value to the cable news business (not wrong) and attacks the SAG:

“Which brings me to your blatant attempt at free media attention to distract from your dismal record as a union. Your organization has done little for its members, and nothing for me — besides collection dues and promoting dangerous un-American policies and ideas — as evident by your massive unemployment rates and lawsuits from celebrated actors, who even recorded a video asking, ‘Why isn’t the union fighting for me?’”

SAG-AFTRA released a concise-enough statement in response to his resignation: “Thank you.”

After a few shake-ups to his impeachment legal team, Trump has so far settled back into the syntax of his comparatively more harmless early-2010s posting. He’s gestured toward starting some combination media empire-social media network, with the backdoor chance of a 2024 run now that he’s out of office. But the SAG letter is pure, uncut poster’s brain — the same guy who used to live-tweet Access Hollywood segments about Kristen Stewart’s dating life and fire off Diet Coke takes. Skeptical as I am of him staying in this zone, it’s probably the best possible outcome if he does.