Likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump claimed to be good friends with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ari, during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter released Wednesday.
“He’s a very good friend of mine,” Trump said during the interview. “He calls me a lot. I call him a lot and we talk. He’s very political. Even though he’s not political, he’s political.”
“He gets it,” he added.
Emanuel is the co-CEO of the powerful William Morris Endeavor talent agency. He also served as the inspiration for Jeremy Piven’s role as agent Ari Gold on the popular HBO series "Entourage."
During his Hollywood Reporter interview, Trump also claimed that Emanuel agreed to produce a celebratory film for the July’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
In April, Variety reported that Trump was represented by WME when his reality show “The Apprentice” was being created. Emanuel’s agency, however, told the Chicago Tribune Wednesday that they had “no plans” to work on the convention.
Coincidentally, Mayor Emanuel compared Gov. Bruce Rauner to Trump Thursday as the governor toured the state pushing a stopgap education plan.
Local
“Right now schools across Illinois need a leader, and instead Bruce Rauner is following the Donald Trump playbook of demonizing one group of people for his political advantage,” Emanuel said in a statement.
Emanuel opposes the measure, instead voicing support for the school funding plan laid out in House Speaker Mike Madigan’s failed budget proposal.
