Like Donald Trump, Britain's Apprentice Host Now Has His Own Racism Scandal

Lord Alan Sugar, host of the British version of The Apprentice, was accused of sending a racist tweet on Wednesday. That is, of course, a situation somewhat familiar to the original host of the American Apprentice, President Donald Trump.

In a now deleted post, Sugar tweeted a photoshopped picture of the Senegal world cup team, all of whom were black. "I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella. Multitasking, resourceful chaps," he posted, alongside the picture made to look like there were counterfeit sunglasses and handbags in front of them.

The reaction online was swift. Osasu Obayiuwana‏—an associate editor at New Africa Magazine and BBC soccer correspondent—wrote on Twitter that this was a "teachable" moment for Lord Sugar.

"Dear ⁦@Lord_Sugar⁩, I'm afraid no Senegalese or African will see this as funny," Obayiuwana‏ posted. "What you wrote was hurtful and plays to a racist stereotype. If you really don't see what's wrong with what you've written, you have a lot to learn still. You should know better!"

Soon enough, the British Apprentice host apologized. "I misjudged me earlier tweet," he posted to Twitter. "It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry."

The BBC, which broadcasts the show, commented on the incident as well. "Lord Sugar has acknowledged this was a seriously misjudged tweet, and he's in no doubt about our view on this," its press office tweeted. "It's right he's apologised unreservedly."

Trump—the host of the original, American Apprentice—is, of course, no stranger to accusations of racism. He kicked off his campaign for president, for instance, by insulting Mexican immigrants in a way many felt was racist.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," he said while announcing his run for president. "They're sending people that have a lot of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

More recently, he said in a tweet that Democrats want undocumented immigrants to "infest" the United States, which many pointed out is dehumanizing and offensive.

"Democrats are the problem," the former reality TV star posted. "They don't care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13. They can't win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters!"