Is Donald Trump Racist? Tom Arnold Claims 'Apprentice' Tapes Reveal President-Elect Saying N-Word, Other Offensive Remarks

Tom Arnold claimed last week that he's sitting on a bombshell. In an interview with Dori Monson, of Seattle's KIRO Radio, the comedian-actor said he's seen tapes of President-elect Donald Trump saying the n-word, as well as "every offensive, racist thing ever" during his tenure as the host of the reality show "The Apprentice."

The so-called "Apprentice Tapes" were the subject of longstanding rumors during the election. If the tape or tapes actually exist they have yet to be released. Possible sources were apparently frightened about the consequences of leaking damning information. Most notably many were reportedly afraid of being sued, especially considering a reported $5 million penalty fee if a staffer was discovered as the person who leaked.

Arnold said he saw the evidence in a compilation of outtakes producers reportedly put together as a joke. He claimed he didn't talk about the tape, or release it back then, because it was all considered a joke.

"I’ll tell you why. Because when the people sent it to me, it was funny," Arnold said. "Hundreds of people have seen these. It was sort of a Christmas video they put together. He wasn’t going to be President of the United States. It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard, just being so mean to his own children. Oh, this is so funny, this is this guy."

Although Trump was seemingly able to shake off other damning news stories, such evidence of racism and offensiveness may have significantly hurt his chances at becoming president. As polls got incredibly tight before the election, Arnold claimed people urged him to release the tape, including an agent for Arnold Schwarzenegger who was apparently close with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

"The Sunday before the election, I get a call from Arnold's CAA agent, sitting next to Hillary Clinton," Arnold said on the KIRO Radio show. "They said, 'I need you to release him saying the N-word.' I said, 'Well, now these people – two editors and an associate producer — are scared to death. They're scared of his people, they're scared of they'll never work again, there's a $5 million confidentiality agreement.'"

Of course it's hard to know if these tapes actually exist without some sort of further verification, but Arnold seemingly reaffirmed his story on Twitter Tuesday. After one user criticized him for not releasing the tape back when Trump won the Republican nomination, Arnold responded by saying it was "complicated" and folks were scared.