Donald Trump almost played the president in Syfy's "Sharknado 3," film company co-founder David Latt told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview about the franchise.
The producers approached Trump for the role in 2015 after Sarah Palin passed on it, Latt said. Initially, the current commander in chief said yes and “was thrilled to be asked,” but later his staff backtracked because he was thinking of making a run for the real job.
When billionaire "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban was hired for the "Sharknado" presidential role, Latt said Trump’s lawyer Michael D. Cohen was upset and threatened to sue the production, but nothing ever came of it. Latt told THR he “took it personally” at the time, but he now gets it.
Cohen told THR he remembers discussing Trump taking the role, but has no recollection of being angry when Trump was passed over for Cuban.
A number of pop culture and even political figures have appeared in the campy Syfy flicks, which have gained a cult following despite only average ratings. Ann Coulter, Biz Markie, Andy Dick, and Perez Hilton all had cameos, along with Anthony Weiner, Fabio, and Poison’s Bret Michaels.
If Trump had taken the role, he would have gotten to shoot flying sharks in the halls of the fictional White House, saying, “This is for America, baby!” Vanity Fair noted.
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