A biopic about former President Donald Trump opens this week, with less than a month until the November election. Widely seen as unflattering, the film will surely play along purely partisan lines. But it's worth noting that if not for the unpopular Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), it may have had no chance of hitting theaters before the election.

The Apprentice stars Sebastian Stan as a young Trump and Jeremy Strong (of HBO's Succession) as Roy Cohn, the infamous "fixer" who acted as Trump's personal attorney and mentor in the 1970s and 1980s. The film depicts Trump's evolution under Cohn's tutelage, from Queens real estate scion to Manhattan bullshit artist. (In the film's trailer, Cohn advises Trump to "admit nothing, deny everything," and "no matter what happens, you claim victory and never admit defeat.")

The film debuted to positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, though it took home no awards. But despite the warm reception, the film struggled to find distribution in the U.S. In May, Trump threatened a defamation suit over a scene that depicts him sexually assaulting his then-wife, Ivana. (She claimed in divorce proceedings that the assault took place but later recanted, calling the allegation "totally without merit" when he ran for president. Ivana Trump died in 2022.)

"This 'film' is pure malicious defamation, should never see the light of day, and doesn't even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire," Steven Cheung, communications director for Trump's reelection campaign, said in a statement.