I first remember Donald Trump as the man who destroyed the Art Deco era “Bonwit Teller” store that stood at 56th and Fifth Avenue in New York City. It was in the way of his monster Trump Tower, a gaudy and dark Las Vegas style skyscraper that has forever lowered the prestige of Fifth Avenue even as it helped inflate the property values. With its pink atrium marbled lobby and enormous waterfall, Trump Tower leads one into what feels like the world’s largest and most ornate urinal. Most appropriate: since most of the public comes inside to relieve themselves in the basement rest rooms.

Trump’s work is all over New York City, yet it will be instantly forgotten the day he dies. His mark is the mirrored facade, which he has pasted over everything he owns from Atlantic City casinos to the former Commodore Hotel on Lexington and 42nd. His “architecture” hasn’t progressed since 1975 and his latest scheme to build two more ugly tall boxes in Jersey City looks like a rendering from the Jimmy Carter era. His only concern is his name which he needs to shout all over the air waves and from atop the highest and most mediocre structures of our time. Despite his sponsorship by Yahoo, Trump bragged on “Larry King” that he doesn’t even know how to use a computer.

His latest apprentice is the distinguished gentleman Randal Pinkett. A biography of Pinkett on his website reads, “Dr. Pinkett holds five academic degrees including the following: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, that he completed with a 3.9 GPA while serving as President of MEET, the Rutgers Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Captain of the Rutgers University Varsity Men’s Track and Field team competing as a high jumper and long jumper; Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from Oxford University, England as a Rhodes Scholar; Master of Science (S.M.) in Electrical Engineering from the MIT School of Engineering and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a participant in the MIT Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM) Program; and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the MIT Media Laboratory. Most notably, Dr. Pinkett made history as the first African-American ever to receive a Rhodes Scholarship at Rutgers University.”

It is therefore astounding that Trump would choose this man, who had worked his ass off to become “The Apprentice” and then in Pinkett’s moment of glory, rob him of his singular feat and ask him if he wanted to share his coronation with Rebecca Jarvis, the runner-up. Bravely, Pinkett answered no. But Trump could not leave him alone, he needed to shift his own indecision onto Pinkett and make it seem if Trump’s wavering and cruelty were somewhere Pinkett’s fault.

Trump bristled at Larry King’s inquiry about whether Pinkett’s pigmentation might have affected the slicing of the pie into two pieces. Testy, thin skinned, squinty eyed…Trump acted like President Bush and called the question “inappropriate”. But isn’t it insensitive to African-Americans to push the white lady into the ring with the black champ? Image is the fuel that keeps the Trump blimp aloft, so he should have understood how black Americans might view this discount win.

Trump has made a name for himself by making his name the only name. His show has a singular goal: pleasing Mr. Trump. The ego that thinks the world should bow down to him, has robbed another man of his well earned title, and cheapened the brand name of “The Apprentice”. When you create a show that is supposed to produce the single best man, don’t back out at the last minute and steal the honor from the one who you are honoring.