Trump wanted Ivanka to replace him as star of 'The Apprentice' with Don Jr. and Eric as 'boardroom advisers' but plan fell through when he ran for president and NBC cut ties

Donald Trump tried bestow a starring role on his TV show 'The Apprentice' to his daughter Ivanka back in 2015, but NBC put the kibosh on the idea, a new account of Trump's climb from TV stardom to political power reveals.

When Trump won the presidency in 2016, it is Ivanka he brought with him to the White House as an unpaid advisor. He put his company in the hands of sons Don Jr. and Eric, along with longtime Trump Organization exec Allen Weisselberg.

But it is Ivanka he wanted taking the reins of the TV version of his family business, according to the new book 'Apprentice in Wonderland,' Variety reported.

Under that proposal by Trump, Don Jr. and Eric would serve as 'boardroom advisors,' taking on a similar structure that the show had used, with Trump's own execs advising him on who to hire and whom to tell 'You're fired!'

'I said, "The best person to hire would be Ivanka,"' Trump says in the book, which is based on 'hours of interviews' and 'unprecedented access' after Trump left the White House in 2021.

Donald Trump, seen here in 2014, wanted to hand off the starring role in 'The Apprentice' to daughter Ivanka (right). Instead, she accompanied him to the White House

'I didn’t press it. But I felt Ivanka would have been by far the best person you could hire,' Trump said of his meetings with network execs. 

NBC didn't go for the idea, and Trump would later ridicule successor Arnold Schwarzenegger over his own poor ratings trying to extend show's run after Trump took the White House.

'NBC didn’t like it, because it became like a family thing,' Trump said. 'But I said, "There’s nobody you’re going to hire that will come even close to Ivanka." They said, ‘Huh…’ And then they came back with Arnold Schwarzenegger.'

NBC executive Mark Burnett created the show, and earns a spot in the book's title for his role in launching Trump: 'Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass.'

Trump, who inherited and expanded a real estate empire from his father Fred Trump, has for years brought his children into the business and handed off assignments that brought prestige and publicity.

Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner served as influential White House advisors. Last month Trump installed daughter-in-law Lara Trump as a co-chair of the Republican National Committee. 

Succession: Donald Trump pitched a plan to have daughter Ivanka succeed him as the star of 'The Apprentice', according to a new book. NBC didn't go for the idea and instead tapped Arnold Schwarzenegger

Trump used the show to help establish a reputation as a no-nonsense and successful businessman

Trump suggested handing over the top TV spot to daughter, Ivanka, but said it came off as a 'family thing' to TV execs. 

Eric Trump (l) and Donald Trump, Jr. would have served as 'boardroom advisors'

Eric Trump, who would have advised his older sister in the arrangement, confirmed at least part of the setup. 'It was going to be the three of us,' the book, by Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, quotes him as saying. 'There were talks for a little while about it.'

The show staring the future president had him getting boardroom advice from George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher. 

Trump revealed his show idea in 'Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass'

Trump used the show to build an image of a skilled entrepreneur that he used to power his unlikely presidential campaign. 

Now, years after leaving the White House after his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, Trump finds his business empire under fire. This week he obtained a bond to pay a $175 million court judgment against him after his New York fraud trial. Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric Trump testified in his fraud trial, but Ivanka was removed as a codefendant.

A court-appointed receiver maintains a role steering his business while he appeals the ruling. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to perjury last month after being jailed for tax evasion.

The former president is accused of bringing reality TV to the White House, but is now in a position to line up a 'Season Two.' He is leading President Joe Biden in critical battleground states, according to the latest polls.