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Paraphrasing Tool

Paraphrasing Tool in partnership with QuillBot. Paraphrase everywhere with the free Chrome Extension .

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What's a paraphrasing tool?

This AI-powered paraphraser lets you rewrite text in your own words. Use it to  paraphrase articles, essays, and other pieces of text. You can also use it to rephrase sentences and find synonyms for individual words. And the best part? It’s all 100% free!

What's paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing involves expressing someone else’s ideas or thoughts in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. Paraphrasing tools can help you quickly reword text by replacing certain words with synonyms or restructuring sentences. They can also make your text more concise, clear, and suitable for a specific audience. Paraphrasing is an essential skill in academic writing and professional communication.

Why use this paraphrasing tool?

• Save time: Gone are the days when you had to reword sentences yourself; now you can rewrite an individual sentence or a complete text with one click.
• Improve your writing: Your writing will always be clear and easy to understand. Automatically ensure consistent language throughout. 
• Preserve original meaning: Paraphrase without fear of losing the point of your text.
• No annoying ads: We care about the user experience, so we don’t run any ads.
• Accurate: Reliable and grammatically correct paraphrasing.
• No sign-up required: We don’t need your data for you to use our paraphrasing tool.
• Super simple to use: A simple interface even your grandma could use.
• It’s 100% free: No hidden costs, just unlimited use of a free paraphrasing tool.

People are in love with our paraphrasing tool

Features of the paraphrasing tool

Rephrase individual sentences

With the Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool, you can easily reformulate individual sentences.

• Write varied headlines
• Rephrase the subject line of an email
• Create unique image captions

Paraphrase a whole text

Our paraphraser can also help with longer passages (up to 125 words per input). Upload your document or copy your text into the input field.

With one click, you can reformulate the entire text.

Find synonyms with ease

Simply click on any word to open the interactive thesaurus.

• Choose from a list of suggested synonyms
• Find the synonym with the most appropriate meaning
• Replace the word with a single click

Paraphrase in two ways

• Standard: Offers a compromise between modifying and preserving the meaning of the original text
• Fluency: Improves language and corrects grammatical mistakes

Upload different types of documents

Upload any Microsoft Word document, Google Doc, or PDF into the paraphrasing tool.

Download or copy your results

After you’re done, you can easily download or copy your text to use somewhere else.

Powered by AI

The paraphrasing tool uses natural language processing to rewrite any text you give it. This way, you can paraphrase any text within seconds.

How does this paraphrasing tool work?

1. put your text into the paraphraser, 2. select your method of paraphrasing, 3. select the quantity of synonyms you want, 4. edit your text where needed, who can use this paraphrasing tool.

Paraphrasing tools can help students to understand texts and improve the quality of their writing. 

Create original lesson plans, presentations, or other educational materials.

Researchers

Explain complex concepts or ideas to a wider audience. 

Journalists

Quickly and easily rephrase text to avoid repetitive language.

Copywriters

By using a paraphrasing tool, you can quickly and easily rework existing content to create something new and unique.

Bloggers can rewrite existing content to make it their own.

Writers who need to rewrite content, such as adapting an article for a different context or writing content for a different audience.

A paraphrasing tool lets you quickly rewrite your original content for each medium, ensuring you reach the right audience on each platform.

The all-purpose paraphrasing tool

The Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool is the perfect assistant in a variety of contexts.

Brainstorming

Writer’s block? Use our paraphraser to get some inspiration.

Professional communication

Produce creative headings for your blog posts or PowerPoint slides.

Academic writing

Paraphrase sources smoothly in your thesis or research paper.

Social media

Craft memorable captions and content for your social media posts.

Paraphrase text online, for free

The Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool lets you rewrite as many sentences as you want—for free.

Write with 100% confidence 👉

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Frequently asked questions

The act of putting someone else’s ideas or words into your own words is called paraphrasing, rephrasing, or rewording. Even though they are often used interchangeably, the terms can mean slightly different things:

Paraphrasing   is restating someone else’s ideas or words in your own words while retaining their meaning. Paraphrasing changes sentence structure, word choice, and sentence length to convey the same meaning.

Rephrasing   may involve more substantial changes to the original text, including changing the order of sentences or the overall structure of the text.

Rewording   is changing individual words in a text without changing its meaning or structure, often using synonyms.

It can. One of the two methods of paraphrasing is called “Fluency.” This will improve the language and fix grammatical errors in the text you’re paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing and using a paraphrasing tool aren’t cheating. It’s a great tool for saving time and coming up with new ways to express yourself in writing.  However, always be sure to credit your sources.  Avoid plagiarism.  

If you don’t properly reference text paraphrased from another source, you’re plagiarising. If you use someone else’s text and paraphrase it, you need to credit the original source. You can do that by using citations. There are different styles, like APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago. Find more information about referencing sources  here.

Paraphrasing   without crediting the original author   is a   form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly referencing the source . This means including an   in-text citation   and a full reference, formatted according to your required   citation style.

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism   means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own.   Paraphrasing   means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

• Paraphrasing   is   plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
• Paraphrasing   is   plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should   quote   it instead.
• Paraphrasing  is not   plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words   and   properly referencing the source .

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Free Paraphrasing Tool

Paraphrase text effortlessly with AI Sparks, a powerful paraphraser by ProWritingAid.

Original Text

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Modified Text

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Why choose our paraphrasing tool?

Choose how to paraphrase.

Expand text, enhance readability, or even add descriptive detail.

Paraphrase in the click of a button. If you’re not satisfied with the result, simply try again.

Strengthen your text

Enhance the structure and vocabulary of your text without removing key information.

Trusted by industry leaders

Power up your writing with ProWritingAid

Our paraphrasing tool reworks vocabulary, sentence structure, and syntax to create new, high-quality content that resonates with your readers.

Find the best way to express your ideas with AI Sparks, a powerful paraphraser. Explore options to enhance readability, expand text, change tense, or even add descriptive detail.

Correct grammar and spelling

Whether you’re working on a quick email or a full-length novel, ProWritingAid catches grammar and spelling errors as you write so no pesky mistakes slip through.

Evaluate your writing

Assess your writing with 25+ reports, including established readability tests, sentence structure analysis, overused words, and more.

Ideate with AI

Experiment with AI Sparks Continue to find fresh ideas to continue your writing. Add new lines of dialogue, find an interesting analogy, formulate a counterargument, and more.

ProWritingAid is used by every type of writer

Join over 3 million users improving their writing.

I am continually impressed with the positive input this program offers me every time I sit down to write. My skills have improved immensely since I bought it and heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to have more confidence in their own writing.

Ginger Wakem

I’ve tried every free and paid writing/editing/grammar extension out there and this by far is the best one my team and I have found. It’s fast, accurate and really helps improve your writing beyond simple grammar suggestions.

Joel Widmer

ProWritingAid has been a resource in my writer toolkit for many years. The program helps me to craft and clarify my stories for a better reader experience. Your editor will thank you for making their job easier.

Siera London

Who can benefit from a paraphraser?

Anyone who wants help expressing their writing in a stronger and clearer way.

Our free paraphraser can help you write logical, eloquent, and plagiarism-free assignments. Use ProWritingAid to write a strong thesis statement, make your arguments sound compelling, or craft a poignant conclusion.

Researchers

ProWritingAid makes sure your language is always appropriately formal and helps you easily present complex ideas in a digestible manner—all while avoiding plagiarism.

Creative Writers

Trying to add more vivid descriptions to your prose? Do your characters keep doing the same actions over and over? Use ProWritingAid like a great critique partner or line editor to improve your fiction or nonfiction writing.

Business Writers

Communication is crucial for any successful business. Spend more time thinking about what to say and less time on how to say it. ProWritingAid can help you write emails, presentations, reports, training documents, and so much more.

Works wherever you do

Use our paraphrasing tool to get writing suggestions across all the apps you use.

Paraphrasing Tool FAQs

What is prowritingaid.

ProWritingAid is a grammar checker, paraphraser, and writing coach all in one helpful tool.

By signing up for a ProWritingAid account, you gain access to various features. These include advanced grammar and spelling checks, style suggestions, AI capabilities for rewriting text and generating ideas, as well as over 25 other reports to help you improve and polish your writing.

Is ProWritingAid free?

A free account allows you to edit and run reports on up to 500 words. It also gives you three AI Sparks per day, which is needed to paraphrase text. If you want more, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan .

How do I access the paraphraser in-app?

Follow these steps to paraphrase text:

Highlight the text you want to paraphrase, then click “ Sparks. ”

Next, choose how you want to paraphrase.

For standard paraphrasing, the Fluency mode works best. However, you can also improve readability, expand text, change tense, or even add descriptive detail.

What is a paraphrasing tool?

A paraphrasing tool is a tool that helps you express words in different way to improve the understanding of your message. It keeps the original meaning of your text but makes it clearer, more impactful, or more professional.

Is paraphrasing the same as rewording?

Originally, the terms paraphrasing and rewording had slightly different meanings. Paraphrasing meant rewriting text in a different form, while still retaining the meaning of the original text. Rewording meant simply switching out words with synonyms. Nowadays, the terms are often used interchangeably.

What software integrations does ProWritingAid offer?

ProWritingAid seamlessly integrates with MS Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, Atticus, Vellum, and more. We also offer browser extensions (Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge), so you can work almost anywhere online.

Does ProWritingAid have a plagiarism checker?

Yes, it does. ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker will check your work against over a billion web pages, published works, and academic papers, so you can be sure of its originality. Find out more about pricing for plagiarism checks here .

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Rewritetool.net

A Rewording tool to reword sentences, paragraphs & articles

AI Rewording Tool - Quick & Accurate

Our cutting-edge rewrite tool—Carefully designed with students and professionals in mind. Equipped with advanced technology to perfectly generate free of plagiarism content. Here’s how to use it: Choose any of the reworder’s mode, type or paste text into the input box, and click “start rewriting.”

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Write Clear, Concise, Unique Content While Keeping the meaning Intact

Our intelligent Reworder tool uses an AI-based algorithm to read, analyze and process text and then rewords it; It does it by suggesting alternative words for the existing ones to improve their overall clarity and readability. You can trust the tool to processes text in ads, tweets, and posts, to longer materials such as emails, blog posts, articles, and essays. Use it to simplify the writing and make it more creative and explicit, create quality content, or  to avoid plagiarism if you want to reuse the same information online.

AI Thesaurus: Find Perfect Synonyms

Word Explorer, also referred to as word changer, is a built-in option in the rewrite tool that works in the output section. It is designed to instantly change words and phrases with synonyms enabling you to easily and accurately customize, reword and edit the paraphrased text until you achieve the desired result.

To use this feature:

• Click on any term that you’d like to replace. 
• Then, a list of similar words will display. 
• Change as many words as you like. It’s easy, fast and 100% free!

Three Paraphrasing modes and One Standard Reworder

Below is an overview of the different modes available in the product. Each mode was designed to meet your specific writing needs. Use the table below as a guide to choose the style that best fits the audience that you’re writing for.

After having an idea about the different modes that our rewording tool has, try it now and you will know that it is truly the free online rewrite tool that you can count in .

Advantages of Our Sentence Rewriter Generator

Its significance for bloggers:

The recommended approach to marketing someone’s business online is blogging.

Updating outdated content regularly is good for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and can keep the website fresh and among the best on search engines. In this regard, our smart sentence rewriter proves to be incredibly valuable—By ensuring that your blogs remains updated and well written.

Generate similar ideas in different words

Many students and writers struggle to express themselves differently and often find themselves repeating large portions of the original text, which can sometimes change the meaning. To overcome these challenges, it’s usually best to use a website that specializes in rewording.

Look no further—our AI reworder tool helps you generate plagiarism-free content and improve the overall tone, style and vocabulary of your writing. Most importantly, allows for expressing existing text in new terms.

Such tools are essential for creating unique content and ensuring communications remain clear and effective.

Before and After: See the Impact of Our Rewording Tool on Text

Find out how our reworder tool applies machine learning technology to effectively rephrase your sentence, paragraph, or assignment. Look at real examples of text before and after. You’ll be shocked that how Natural Language Processing (NLP) makes words clearer and easier to read.

Why Proofread Rewritten Content?

To rewrite sentences means you restate what it has already said or written in your own unique words. It is used extensively within academic writing when you want to refer to what others have said without resorting to using a direct quotation.

While it is quick to generate content through a free tool, it may not always provide you with the quality of articles that you will need. First, it will not change the actual structure of the writing. And second, it may have problems with word selection.

Article rewriter tools will often make mistakes while spinning articles for you. So, you will need to review the generated copy to ensure that it provides you with a readable text that reflects the original meaning.

Rephrasing a paragraph requires a full understanding of the original writing. It’s not about swapping the words for synonyms, as many will do. Sometimes using one wrong synonym can change the context of the sentence. Therefore, it is always best to have those important papers edited and proofread.

How to Paraphrase Effectively

Using paraphrasing tools may not always be fruitful as you expect it to be.

The proper decision for such a task is that you either do it yourself which is time consuming and hard word, or hire an experienced writer which is in return expensive.

That sucks, isn’t it? So, what’s the solution?

The solution is “ a sentence rephraser.”

It is an AI-powered paraphrasing tool (just like the one we’ve above) that rephrases sentences, paragraphs and other text.

Believe me It’s the right option if you were in a budget, busy or weren’t a native English speaker.

However, to paraphrase effectively when using such AI software, there are several paraphrasing tips and techniques that you must take into consideration and these are some of them:

• Read the original content carefully and understand it.
• Don’t change the main idea of the existing work.
• Always use a proofreading checker to enhance grammar and text readability.

“A paraphrase must provide the same information as the original and be written in your own word choice and sentence structure.” Source: kibin.com.

To learn more about rewriting and how it works, check our summarizing and paraphrasing examples for better writing.

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Using a Paraphrasing Tool

Learn from others’ mistakes to use this text reworder effectively to rearrange or change the phrasing. Avoid these mistakes to make sure your final draft is clear and strong.

Try not to rely too much on automated suggestions : While this free tool provides helpful suggestions, don’t just accept them blindly. 

Think about your readers : Do your research and know who will read your writing. Don’t change it in a way that doesn’t fit them.

Edit your text carefully : Even AI can do mistakes, check the main body for mistakes like bad grammar or confusing phrases.

The new version should look natura l: The point of substituting terms with synonyms is to make the wording clearer, not to change it. Stick to what the original words say.

Avoid Plagiarism : Make sure your paraphrased version is all yours. If you use someone else’s content, give them credit.

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Perfect your writing with Rewrite

Instantly paraphrase emails, articles, messages and more to deliver high-quality written work with confidence.

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“a must-have” "life-changing" “just incredible”.

Though my writing's pretty cogent, I'm always running it through Wordtune to find inspiration and better ways to express myself.

Wordtune is the best in my opinion, when it comes to rewriting content.

Can't live without wordtune, as someone who writes a-lot of sales related copy wordtune helps me personalize and gives me ideas on how to rewrite words or sentences.

Authentically express yourself with personalized Generative AI

Essay Changer for Any Occasion: Free, Original, Safe, & Fast

• No suggestions
• Suggested replacement
• Average match
• Below average match
• 👣 What Does the Tool Do?
• 🤔 When to Use It?
• 🎊 Essay Changer Benefits
• 📑 Paraphrased Results
• 🛠️ Tools for Essay Rewording

🔗 References

👣 5-step essay changer – what does it do.

Essay changer is an online essay rephrasing tool. It can quickly paraphrase a paragraph, sentence, or entire essay for free. We developed the best essay rewriter to help students successfully deal with their written assignments. With this essay changer, you’ll need to make five steps to get your text rephrased:

• Choose the text you would like to paraphrase. Paste it into our tool.
• Select the percentage of words you need to rephrase.
• Click the “Rephrase” button.
• Receive your paraphrased text in no time & for free.
• Choose some synonyms manually if necessary.

🤔 When to Use Essay Word Changer?

Essay Changer is a helpful online rephrasing tool that can serve various purposes.

Refer to Other Sources

Rule #1 of referring to other sources in your writing – avoid plagiarism. Students often need to reference other scientific papers to demonstrate their knowledge. With the help of the essay changer, you can address any source by simply rephrasing it.

Change the Text

Sometimes you need to repeat your thought, but in other words. Try using the essay changer to rewrite your main ideas (thesis statement or arguments). You can also use our free online rewriter to edit your text if you feel like you need some other wording.

Polish Your Writing

Written assignments in English can be incredibly challenging. If English is not your native language, you can improve it significantly by using our paraphrasing tool. This essay changer will increase the quality of essays written by everyone, especially non-native speakers.

Make SEO-Friendly Text

If you work as a copywriter or SEO writer (or plan to), you know how important unique texts on the site are. Essay changer helps avoid plagiarism and creates catchy titles and memorable website content.

🎊 Essay Changer Benefits – Free & Safe Tool

There are numerous ways in which essay changer can benefit your writings. Consider the following advantages our paraphrase tool has.

• It was specifically designed for students. We developed an essay changer to rewrite academic texts and help students avoid plagiarism. You don’t have to worry about the uniqueness of your texts anymore, even if you use various sources.
• It is possible to choose the share of paraphrased words. If the original text you’ve selected contains the necessary terminology you want to stick to, you can simply choose a smaller number of words for paraphrasing.
• It is user-friendly and 100% free. Our tool works as a copy-and-paste essay changer. It takes almost no time to process your text and provide you with the best version possible. Moreover, we care about students’ needs and deliver essay changer services completely for free.
• It has high rephrasing quality. We aim to make your text readable and easy to follow by choosing the most suitable synonyms. Essay changer provides high rephrasing quality to make the original writing only better.

📑 Results of an Essay Changer Generator

To illustrate how essay changer works, we’ve developed an example. The following text is a passage from Taylor Swift’s NYU commencement speech in 2022.

• With the help of accurate synonyms, the essay changer paraphrased the original text but kept the author’s tone of voice.
• The paraphrasing results help avoid plagiarism but, at the same time, clearly reflect the initial ideas.
• After the paraphrasing, the text has become more precise. The essay changer replaced too wordy sentences with shorter linking phrases.
• The results of paraphrasing help to build a better connection with readers. The rephrased version highlights all the important points, while less informative parts are left out.

🛠️ Tools for Better Essay Rewording

To improve your writing, you can use other tools. We recommend combining synonym generators and plagiarism checkers. Check them out below.

Online Synonym Generators

Here’s the list of online synonym generators that will help you reword your texts with better alternatives.

WordNet Search is a helpful tool demonstrating how synonyms are used in different sentences and contexts.

Synonym.com is a user-friendly tool that provides all the existing synonyms and antonyms with brief definitions for better understanding.

What makes Thesaurus so special is that it presents synonyms by ranging them from the most to least accurate ones.

This database collects the synonyms from various online dictionaries, giving users a wide range of words.

Lexico.com is the perfect tool when you are looking for synonyms for your academic writing. All the synonyms presented on the website are chosen from the Oxford dictionary.

Plagiarism Checkers

Plagiarism checkers are lifesavers for many students since plagiarism is entirely prohibited in the academic community. Before submitting your written assignments, we recommend always checking them with the help of one of these tools.

Grammarly’s plagiarism checker not only calculates the amount of plagiarism the text consists of but also highlights the sentences taken from other recourses. This feature makes editing and paraphrasing so much easier!

This magic tool is designed for students to create original content. Overnight Essay offers a completely free and easy–to–use plagiarism detector. You can upload different document formats, and don’t worry about their safety – privacy is the top priority of the service.

SmallSeoTools.com is another helpful plagiarism checker that is 100% free. You simply copy and paste the paragraph you need to check into the box on the website. It takes almost no time for SmallSeoTools.com to scan for duplicated content.

How to change words in my essay?

Editing and proofreading are essential steps when writing an essay. If your paper needs rewriting, remove complex structures and focus on the key points. Keep the basic terminology connected with your research topic, and look for the parts where you can elaborate.

How to reword an essay fast?

Use the essay changer – our online essay rephrasing tool, to paraphrase your paper quickly and adequately. We designed an essay changer to help students with their academic writings for free. Another great feature of our essay changer is that you can choose the percentage of words needed to paraphrase.

Why is it important to paraphrase?

Paraphrasing is crucial because it demonstrates your understanding of a research topic. Paraphrasing also provides an alternative to direct quotes. Overall, paraphrasing makes it possible to create unique and readable content.

How to rewrite a paragraph to avoid plagiarism?

To avoid plagiarism, we recommend using online synonyms generators and plagiarism checkers. These tools are beneficial if you mix various sources in your writing. If you struggle with paraphrasing by yourself, you can always apply to our free retype generator .

• Paraphrasing | La Trobe University
• Avoiding Plagiarism – Paraphrasing | Academic Integrity at MIT
• Paraphrasing // Purdue Writing Lab
• Paraphrasing – Research Process Step-by-Step | The University of Texas at Arlington
• How to Avoid Plagiarism: 5 Easy Methods | Grammarly

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Synonyms and antonyms of change in English

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See words related to change, change | american thesaurus.

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on top of the world

extremely happy

Keeping up appearances (Talking about how things seem)

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• 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered.

Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.

If you’re interested in developing your language and persuasive skills, Oxford Royale offers summer courses at its Oxford Summer School , Cambridge Summer School , London Summer School , San Francisco Summer School and Yale Summer School . You can study courses to learn english , prepare for careers in law , medicine , business , engineering and leadership.

General explaining

Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument. Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point. Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance. Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”. Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument . Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover

Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making. Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”

7. Furthermore

Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information. Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”

8. What’s more

Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”. Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”

9. Likewise

Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned. Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”

10. Similarly

Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”. Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”. Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”

12. As well as

Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”. Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”

13. Not only… but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information. Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time. Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other. Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.

16. Not to mention/to say nothing of

Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis. Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”

Words and phrases for demonstrating contrast

When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However

Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said. Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion. Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”. Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence. Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion. Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”

22. That said

Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”. Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”

Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea. Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”

Adding a proviso or acknowledging reservations

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence. Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else. Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”

26. Provided that

Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing. Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else. Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”

28. Nonetheless

Usage: This is similar to “despite this”. Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”

29. Nevertheless

Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”. Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”

30. Notwithstanding

Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”. Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”

Giving examples

Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”

32. To give an illustration

Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”

Signifying importance

When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly

Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent. Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”

34. Notably

Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it). Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”

35. Importantly

Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”. Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”

Summarising

You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion

Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview. Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay. Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”

38. Persuasive

Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing. Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”

39. Compelling

Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above. Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”

40. All things considered

Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”

How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch here to find out more about courses that can help you with your essays.

At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of  summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law , business , medicine  and engineering .

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Synonyms of 'change' in American English

Synonyms of 'change' in british english, additional synonyms.

Browse alphabetically change

• change your tune
• changeability
• All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'C'

Related terms of change

• short-change

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Synonyms of change

• as in alteration
• as in fluctuation
• as in money
• as in to modify
• as in to vary
• as in to exchange
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Thesaurus Definition of change

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• modification
• transformation
• fluctuation
• refashioning
• metamorphosis
• deformation
• replacement
• rectification
• oscillation
• displacement
• substitution
• transfiguration

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stabilization
• inconstancy
• transmutation
• transmogrification
• vacillation
• legal tender
• money order
• paper money
• chump change
• promissory note
• folding money
• pocket money
• spending money
• wherewithal
• cashier's check
• king's ransom

Thesaurus Definition of change  (Entry 2 of 2)

• revolutionize
• metamorphose
• transfigure
• deteriorate
• turn around
• interchange
• reciprocate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word change different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of change are alter , modify , and vary . While all these words mean "to make or become different," change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.

When might alter be a better fit than change ?

Although the words alter and change have much in common, alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.

When is it sensible to use modify instead of change ?

The synonyms modify and change are sometimes interchangeable, but modify suggests a difference that limits, restricts, or adapts to a new purpose.

Where would vary be a reasonable alternative to change ?

In some situations, the words vary and change are roughly equivalent. However, vary stresses a breaking away from sameness, duplication, or exact repetition.

Phrases Containing change

• change of heart
• change one's mind (about)
• small change

Articles Related to change

'Handsome,' 'Geek,' and 8 More Words...

'Handsome,' 'Geek,' and 8 More Words That Changed Their Meanings

Language evolves

Thesaurus Entries Near change

chandeliers

changeability

Cite this Entry

“Change.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/change. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on change

Nglish: Translation of change for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of change for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about change

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A producer on The Apprentice alleges Trump used the n-word

An explosive new essay published in Slate on Thursday raises new allegations about former President Donald Trump’s behavior on the set of The Apprentice , renewing focus on his history of racist comments and misconduct toward women . 

The piece, by Bill Pruitt, a former producer on the reality show, claims Trump used the n-word to describe a Black contestant named Kwame Jackson, and describes how he openly commented on women’s appearances. 

The allegations are at once shocking … and not. They echo much of what’s known about Trump based both on his public behavior and reports about his private conduct. The piece also revives a past allegation about the former president using the racial slur, this time offering testimony from a direct source who purportedly witnessed it. 

A Trump campaign spokesperson, in a response to Pruitt, has denied the essay’s claims. 

Black voters and women are both groups that Trump has sought to make inroads with this year as the 2024 election is expected to be extremely close. Whether the essay alters any voters’ perceptions of Trump remains to be seen, particularly as the version of Trump portrayed in the piece doesn’t differ greatly from his public persona . But even if Pruitt’s piece doesn’t affect how voters see the former president, it’s putting his troubling track record into the spotlight once more. 

Pruitt claims there are recordings of Trump saying unsavory things 

Pruitt’s essay focuses on how Apprentice producers were able to make Trump appear like a successful and commanding businessperson despite his bumbling persona and well-established history of scamming those he worked with. 

In the piece, Pruitt describes the ways in which editing, offscreen coaching, and sets were used to establish Trump’s business acumen and to obscure sexist and racist comments that he made. 

“We scammed. We swindled. Nobody heard the racist and misogynistic comments or saw the alleged cheating, the bluffing, or his hair taking off in the wind,” Pruitt writes. 

Below are some of the specific examples Pruitt cites: 

• Racist comments: Pruitt says that there is a tape of Trump using the n-word to describe Jackson, a Black Goldman Sachs banker, as the judges are discussing who should win the first season of The Apprentice. 

According to Pruitt, Carolyn Kepcher, one of Trump’s employees who advised him on the show, argued that Jackson did a strong job with the season’s final challenge, and he deserved to win. 

“Yeah,” Trump allegedly said, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?”

Pruitt says that Kepcher’s face reddened, but producers and those in the room simply glossed over the comment and continued with the taping. He adds that such statements were cut from the show and that he does not believe those tapes will ever come to light. 

• Treatment of women: Trump’s comments about women, including staff on the show as well as contestants, are also called out in the essay. 

Pruitt claims that Trump prevented one camera operator from getting on the elevator with him, stating that she’s too “heavy” and openly commented on another’s looks, saying “that’s all I want to look at.” He also says that Trump described a contestant, as “the one with the …” while gesturing toward his chest. 

• Scamming workers: In recent years, there have been a number of reports about Trump shortchanging contractors. Pruitt says he learned of this firsthand while filming the show after meeting an architect at Trump National Golf Club, who described being stiffed for half the cost of the work he did.  

The essay may not change anyone’s mind about Trump, but it still matters

Many of the issues the piece raises are familiar ones. 

In office, and on the campaign trail, Trump has been well-known for racist remarks , including describing Haiti and El Salvador as “shithole” countries , and threatening violence toward Black Lives Matter protesters . His policies, too, have taken aim at immigrant families and promoting diversity training in the workplace . Trump’s misogyny has been long established as well, with more than 20 women accusing him of sexual misconduct and a bombshell Access Hollywood video featuring him bragging about sexually assaulting women. 

The piece treads similar ground. And for many of his core supporters, in particular, these revelations are unlikely to change their support of him. 

The essay does, however, reignite discussion of Trump’s attitudes toward women and minorities as he tries to win over pivotal swing voters in 2024. In 2020, suburban women were a major group that boosted President Joe Biden in key swing states while Trump made marginal gains with Black male voters . 

Pruitt’s piece points to key vulnerabilities Trump still has with these groups, and is a reminder of how his history could make improving his standing with them an uphill battle. 

Florida, the state of denial, needs to eliminate 'heat index' for climate change relief

'we reject the woke ideology of the heat index,' gov. desantis could say. 'we here in florida stand for people doing their own research about how hot it feels outside.'.

It is time for Florida to ban the words “heat index.”

It’s the next logical step to take for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a new law that removes references to “climate change” in state statutes .

Human-made pollution that helps to warm the planet and create stronger hurricanes and coastal flooding in parts of South Florida will have to be labeled something other than climate change in the state. 

Suggestion for DeSantis: “Freedom flooding.” 

The law eliminates the priority of addressing climate change – oops, I said it – by promoting energy sources other than fossil fuels. 

It goes into effect in July, which by the way, ought to be given a more Fahrenheit-friendly, tourist-beckoning name in Florida, such as “Chillember.”

Florida bans cities from protecting workers from the heat

In other legislative efforts, the state has also prohibited county and local governments from protecting their outdoor workers from the deadly heat during the summer months. 

Last summer’s death of a farmworker Efrain Lopez Garcia , 29, who was overcome by heat illness after picking crops in Homestead for more than 37 consecutive days with the heat index over 100 degrees, prompted Miami-Dade County lawmakers to consider a local ordinance to protect outdoor workers against lethal excessive heat.

If passed, the ordinance would have required employers to give their outdoor workers 10-minute water breaks after every two hours of outdoor work and to provide the workers a shaded area to help them cool down. 

But there’s no chance of that now, because state lawmakers and DeSantis preempted those efforts by outlawing any local or county measure that protects outdoor workers from the heat. 

Should I shower every day? Skipping daily showers in hot South Florida? Experts say yes. I say absolutely not.

It’s a stark contrast to what happened after a high school football player Zachary Martin died of heat illness after an outdoor practice seven summers ago. 

After that happened, the Florida Legislature passed the Zachary Martin Act to prevent future heat-related deaths during outdoor games and practices during periods of sweltering heat. That law requires Florida schools to protect their athletes with water immersion tubs, cooling zones, electrolyte guidelines and automated external defibrillators at each practice or game with a school employee trained to use them.

That was done before the state’s current phase, which might best be described as an era of “willful ignorance,” or maybe it’s “casual malevolence” or “codified malice.”

Whatever you call it, DeSantis seems poised to take the next step. If we’re going to deny climate change and prevent local measures to address it, we need a law to ban the words “heat index.”

Because it's the heat index that's the real culprit here.

What is the heat index?

The heat index is what the temperature feels like. It’s not the actual reading on a thermometer. It’s a calculation that adjusts that temperature by noting the relative humidity. When the relative humidity is high, the actual temperature feels hotter to the human body. 

Here’s an example from the National Weather Service heat index chart. An air temperature of 90 degrees with a relative humidity of 40% feels like 91 degrees. But if that same temperature is occurring when the relative humidity is 80%, it feels like 113 degrees, and the likeliness of a heat disorder has gone from “extreme caution” to “danger.”

Florida is already shattering heat records this year. Key West recorded a 115 degree heat index recently, the highest on record there at any time of year. 

And heat indexes throughout South Florida have been over 100 degrees lately.

So, it’s time for action, the kind of action we’ve come to expect from DeSantis and his enablers. 

“Don’t Say Heat Index” could be the next bold Florida initiative. 

DeSantis targets Pride Month: Gov. Ron DeSantis bravely saves Floridians from exposure to nonpatriotic bridges

Florida, the 'Don't Sweat on Me!' state

Rather than bend a knee to the Soros-backed globalists at the big-government National Weather Service, DeSantis could move forward with a new front on his go-it-alone posturing, saying that Florida's weather is a state's right issue. And no Washington coastal elite can tell Florida what to think about its weather.

Should we start printing the "Don't Sweat on Me!" bumper stickers?

“We reject the woke ideology of the heat index,” DeSantis could say. “We here in Florida stand for people doing their own research about how hot it feels outside."

“We take a family-based approach to weather, and we reject being indoctrinated by unelected Washington weather bureaucrats and their hot-weather hoax,” he could announce.

As part of this, DeSantis could sign a new law that requires all reporting on outdoor temperatures in Florida to first be cleared by a state oversight board, whose members will be made up of term-limited lawmakers and large campaign donors appointed by DeSantis and paid six-figure salaries.

The weather will be subject to nondisclosure agreements under the governor’s executive privilege. And Florida will soon be the envy of Texans by leading the way in disparaging the concept of a "heat index."

Which, come to think of it, will probably be renamed “critical mercury theory.”

Frank Cerabino is a columnist with The Palm Beach Post, where this piece first appeared .

NCAA signs off on deal that would change landscape of college sports — paying student-athletes

A major change could be coming for college athletes — they may soon start getting paid.

A tentative agreement announced Thursday by the NCAA and the country’s five biggest conferences to a series of antitrust lawsuits could direct millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as fall 2025.

The nearly $2.8 billion settlement, which would be paid out over the next decade to 14,000 former and current student-athletes, “is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a joint statement Thursday night with the commissioners of the ACC, the Big 10, the Big 12, the Pac-12 and the SEC.

The federal judge overseeing the case must still sign off on the agreement, but if it is approved, it would signal a major shift in college sports in which students would play for compensation, not just scholarships, exposure and opportunities.

“This landmark settlement will bring college sports into the 21st century, with college athletes finally able to receive a fair share of the billions of dollars of revenue that they generate for their schools,” said Steve Berman, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs. “Our clients are the bedrock of the NCAA’s multibillion-dollar business and finally can be compensated in an equitable and just manner for their extraordinary athletic talents.”

The NCAA and power conferences called the settlement a “road map” that would allow the uniquely American institution to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students and write the “next chapter of college sports.”

The case, which was set to go to trial early next year, was brought by a former and a current college athlete who said the NCAA and the five wealthiest conferences improperly barred athletes from earning endorsement money. Former Arizona State swimmer Grant House and Sedona Prince, a former Oregon and current TCU basketball player, also contended in their suit that athletes were entitled to a piece of the billions of dollars the NCAA and those conferences earn from media rights agreements with television networks.

Michael McCann, a legal analyst and sports reporter at Sportico , told NBC News in an interview on Top Story with Tom Llamas the case has two components that “move away from amateurism” — one that deals with how players are paid for the past loss of earnings, including money they could have made for name, image and likeness.

“The going forward part is that colleges can opt in, conferences can opt in, as well, to pay players, to share revenue with them, to have direct pay, and that would be of course a radical from the traditions of college sports,” McCann said, adding many would say that change is warranted. “Now the athletes, at least at some schools, will get a direct stake.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though some details have emerged in the past few weeks. They signal the end of the NCAA’s bedrock amateurism model that dates to its founding in 1906. Indeed, the days of NCAA punishment for athletes driving booster-provided cars started vanishing three years ago when the organization  lifted restrictions on endorsement deals  backed by so-called name, image and likeness, or NIL, money.

Now it is not far-fetched to look ahead to seasons when a star quarterback or a top prospect on a college basketball team not only is cashing in big-money NIL deals but also has a $100,000 school payment in the bank to play.

A host of  details are still to be determined . The agreement calls for the NCAA and the conferences to pay $2.77 billion over 10 years to more than 14,000 former and current college athletes who say now-defunct rules prevented them from earning money from endorsement and sponsorship deals dating to 2016.

Some of the money would come from NCAA reserve funds and insurance, but even though the lawsuit specifically targeted five conferences that comprise 69 schools (including Notre Dame),  dozens of other NCAA member schools  would get smaller distributions from the NCAA to cover the mammoth payout.

Schools in the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences would end up bearing the brunt of the settlement at a cost of about $300 million apiece over 10 years, the majority of which would be paid to athletes going forward.

The Pac-12 is also part of the settlement, with all 12 current schools sharing responsibility even though Washington State and Oregon State will be the only league members left by this fall after the 10 other schools leave.

Paying athletes

In the new compensation model, each school would be permitted but not required to set aside up to $21 million in revenue to share with athletes per year, though as revenues rose, so could the cap.

Athletes in all sports would be eligible for payments, and schools would be given the freedom to decide how the money is divvied up among sports programs. Roster restrictions would replace scholarship limits by sport.

McCann said the back pay would disproportionately go to some sports — such as football and basketball.

“The schools that I think that are certainly big football schools will probably opt in because they’re going to want to compete, they’re going to want to get the best players, because college football generates a lot of revenue,” he said. 

Whether the new compensation model is subject to the Title IX gender equity law is unknown, along with whether schools would be able to bring NIL activities in-house as they hope and squeeze out the booster-run collectives that have sprouted up in the last few years to pay athletes. Both topics could lead to more lawsuits.

“There are all sorts of areas of turbulence that could present themselves,” McCann said of roadblocks that could arise.

More sports coverage

• Four decades after Michael Jordan, Caitlin Clark is getting her own line of Wilson basketballs
• Mario Andretti: Formula 1 owner personally threatened to shut out team Andretti
• Student-athletes are inking lucrative endorsement deals, but a patchwork of laws has created chaos in college sports

Other cases

The settlement is expected to cover two  other antitrust cases  facing the NCAA and major conferences that challenge athlete compensation rules. Hubbard v. the NCAA and Carter v. the NCAA are also in front of judges in the Northern District of California.

A fourth case, Fontenot v. NCAA, creates a potential complication, as it remains in a Colorado court after a judge  denied a request  to combine it with Carter. Whether Fontenot becomes part of the settlement is unknown, and it matters because the NCAA and its conferences don’t want to be on the hook for more damages should they lose in court.

“We’re going to continue to litigate our case in Colorado and look forward to hearing about the terms of a settlement proposal once they’re actually released and put in front of a court,” said George Zelcs, a plaintiffs’ attorney in Fontenot.

Headed in that direction

The solution agreed to in the settlement is a landmark but not surprising. College sports have been trending in this direction for years, with athletes receiving more and more monetary benefits and rights they say were long overdue.

In December, Baker, the former governor of Massachusetts who has been on the job for 14 months,  proposed creating a new tier of Division I athletics  in which the schools with the most resources would be required to pay at least half their athletes $30,000 per year. That suggestion, along with many other possibilities, remains under discussion.

The settlement would not make every issue facing college sports go away. There is still a question of whether athletes should be  deemed employees  of their schools, which Baker and other college sports leaders  are fighting.

Some type of federal legislation or antitrust exemption would most likely still be needed to codify the terms of the settlement, protect the NCAA from future litigation and pre-empt state laws that attempt to neuter the organization’s authority. As it is,  the NCAA still faces lawsuits  that challenge its ability to govern itself, including setting rules limiting multiple-time transfers.

“This settlement is also a road map for college sports leaders and Congress to ensure this uniquely American institution can continue to provide unmatched opportunity for millions of students,” the joint statement said. “All of Division I made today’s progress possible, and we all have work to do to implement the terms of the agreement as the legal process continues. We look forward to working with our various student-athlete leadership groups to write the next chapter of college sports.”

Federal lawmakers have indicated they would like to get something done, but while  several bills have been introduced , none have gone anywhere.

Despite the unanswered questions, one thing is clear: Major college athletics is about to become more like professional sports than ever before.

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Guest Essay

The Death of Iran’s President Could Change the World

By John Ghazvinian

Dr. Ghazvinian is executive director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

The uncertainty ushered in by the death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash, just weeks after an unprecedented exchange of military attacks with Israel, has brought a chilling question to mind: Is 2024 the year that Iran finally decides it can no longer take chances with its security and races to build a nuclear bomb?

Up to now, for reasons experts often debate, Iran has never made the decision to build a nuclear weapon, despite having at least most of the resources and capabilities it needs to do so, as far as we know. But Mr. Raisi’s death has created an opportunity for the hard-liners in the country who are far less allergic to the idea of going nuclear than the regime has been for decades.

Even before Mr. Raisi’s death, there were indications that Iran’s position might be starting to shift. The recent exchange of hostilities with Israel, a country with an undeclared but widely acknowledged nuclear arsenal, has provoked a change of tone in Tehran. “We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” Kamal Kharrazi, a leading adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on May 9.

In April, a senior Iranian lawmaker and former military commander had warned that Iran could enrich uranium to the 90 percent purity threshold required for a bomb in “half a day, or let’s say, one week.” He quoted the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying that the regime will “respond to threats at the same level,” implying that Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities would cause a rethinking of Iran’s nuclear posture.

Iran’s relationship with nuclear technology has always been ambiguous, even ambivalent. Both during the regime of the pro-western Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the 1960s and 1970s and the anti-American Islamic Republic that has held power since 1979, Iran has kept outside powers guessing and worrying about its nuclear intentions. But it has never made the decision to fully cross the threshold of weaponization. There are several important reasons for this, ranging from religious reservations about the morality of nuclear weapons to Iran’s membership in the global Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). But the biggest reason has been strategic.

Historically, Iran’s leaders have repeatedly concluded that they have more to gain from “playing by the rules” of the international nonproliferation order than they do from racing for the bomb. To do so, they would have to first withdraw from the nonproliferation treaty, which would immediately signal their intentions to the world and could invite American military intervention. At the same time, the revolutionary government has been reluctant to cave into Western demands and dismantle their program altogether, as that would demonstrate a different kind of weakness. Iran’s leaders are no doubt keenly aware of the example of Libya’s Muammar el-Qaddafi, who agreed in 2003 to abandon his country’s nuclear program, only to find himself overthrown eight years later following military intervention by a NATO-led coalition.

That strategic happy medium has worked well for the Islamic Republic — until now. Two decades of dysfunctional U.S. nuclear policy toward Iran have created a dangerous dynamic, in which Iran enriches more uranium than it otherwise might, either as a defensive posture or a negotiating tactic, and gradually inches its way toward being able to make a weapon that it might not even really want.

When the U.S.-Iran nuclear dispute first emerged in the early 2000s, Iran had only 164 antiquated centrifuges and little real appetite for a weapons program. But the Bush administration’s unrealistic insistence that Iran agree to “zero enrichment” turned it into a matter of national pride. During the years that the Obama administration spent negotiating with Iran, the regime kept enriching uranium and adding to its stockpile, in part as a hedge against future concessions. And of course, President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 and subsequent campaign of maximum pressure only added to Iran’s defiance.

Today, Iran has thousands of advanced centrifuges and a large stockpile of enriched uranium. This, in turn, has provoked some camps inside Iran to adopt a “might as well” argument for nuclear weaponization. If we’ve already come this far, the argument goes, then why not just go for a bomb?

Under Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran has remained adamant that it is better off demonstrating to the world its willingness to stay within the nonproliferation treaty. But in recent years, as Western sanctions have piled up and Iran’s economy has been strangled, hard-liners have occasionally suggested that the country has gained nothing from this posture and might be better off following the “North Korea model”— that is, pulling out of the nonproliferation treaty and racing for a bomb as North Korea did in 2003. Until now, these voices have been quickly marginalized, as it’s clear the supreme leader does not share the sentiment. An early 2000s fatwa, or religious ruling, by Ayatollah Khamenei declared nuclear weapons to be “forbidden under Islam” and decreed that “the Islamic Republic of Iran shall never acquire these weapons.”

Mr. Raisi’s death has quickly and dramatically shifted the landscape. A regime that had already begun to drift into militarism and domination by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) now risks moving more firmly into this camp. Some in the I.R.G.C. see the fatwa as outdated: One senior former regime official recently told me that the top brass of the corps is “itching” to engineer the fatwa’s reversal — and will most likely do so at the first opportunity.

Regardless of who wins the snap presidential election that now must be held by early July, the ultimate succession battle will be for the role of supreme leader, and the I.R.G.C. is likely to play a decisive role in the transition. The late president was seen as a front-runner to succeed the 85-year-old ayatollah. Now, other than Ayatollah Khamenei’s son, there are few strong contenders. Whoever prevails is likely to rely heavily on the I.R.G.C. for his legitimacy.

Historically, Iran has felt a nuclear hedging strategy is its best defense against external aggression and invasion. And Tehran may continue to calculate that racing for a bomb would only invite more hostility, including from the United States. Then again, an increasingly distracted and unpredictable Washington might not be in a position to react forcefully against a sudden and rapid Iranian rush for a bomb, especially if Iran chooses its moment wisely.

Between the war in Gaza, a possible change in American leadership, and a domestic power vacuum that the I.R.G.C. could step into, it is not difficult to imagine a brief window in which Iran could pull out the stops and surprise the world by testing a nuclear device.

Would I bet the house on this scenario? Perhaps not. But from the perspective of a historian, the possibility of an Iranian rush for a bomb has never felt more real than it does today.

John Ghazvinian is executive director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present.” He is working on a book on the history of Iran’s nuclear program.

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The Donald Trump I Saw on The Apprentice

For 20 years, i couldn’t say what i watched the former president do on the set of the show that changed everything. now i can..

On Jan. 8, 2004, just more than 20 years ago, the first episode of The Apprentice aired. It was called “Meet the Billionaire,” and 18 million people watched. The episodes that followed climbed to roughly 20 million each week. A staggering 28 million viewers tuned in to watch the first season finale. The series won an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, and the Television Critics Association called it one of the best TV shows of the year, alongside The Sopranos and Arrested Development . The series—alongside its bawdy sibling, The Celebrity Apprentice —appeared on NBC in coveted prime-time slots for more than a decade.

The Apprentice was an instant success in another way too. It elevated Donald J. Trump from sleazy New York tabloid hustler to respectable household name. In the show, he appeared to demonstrate impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth, even though his businesses had barely survived multiple bankruptcies and faced yet another when he was cast. By carefully misleading viewers about Trump—his wealth, his stature, his character, and his intent—the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations.

I should know. I was one of four producers involved in the first two seasons. During that time, I signed an expansive nondisclosure agreement that promised a fine of $5 million and even jail time if I were to ever divulge what actually happened. It expired this year.

No one involved in The Apprentice —from the production company or the network, to the cast and crew—was involved in a con with malicious intent. It was a TV show , and it was made for entertainment . I still believe that. But we played fast and loose with the facts, particularly regarding Trump, and if you were one of the 28 million who tuned in, chances are you were conned.

As Trump answers for another of his alleged deception schemes in New York and gears up to try to persuade Americans to elect him again, in part thanks to the myth we created, I can finally tell you what making Trump into what he is today looked like from my side. Most days were revealing. Some still haunt me, two decades later.

Nearly everything I ever learned about deception I learned from my friend Apollo Robbins. He’s been called a professional pickpocket, but he’s actually a “perceptions expert.” Apollo has spent his life studying the psychology of how we distort other people’s perceptions of reality and has done so by picking pockets onstage for the entertainment of others. He is a master of deception, a skill that made him, back in the day, the so-called best-kept secret in Las Vegas. After “fanning” his marks with casual, unobtrusive touch designed to make them feel safe or at ease, Apollo determines where the items reside—the wallet inside a breast pocket, the Rolex fastened to a wrist—and he removes these items without detection. He’ll even tell you what he intends to steal before he does it. He does this not to hurt people or bewilder them with a puzzle but to challenge their maps of reality. The results are marvelous. A lot of magic is designed to appeal to people visually, but what he’s trying to affect is your mind, your moods, your perceptions.

As a producer working in unscripted, or “reality,” television, I have the same goal. Like Apollo, I want to entertain, make people joyful, maybe even challenge their ways of thinking. But because I often lack the cinematic power of a movie, with its visual pyrotechnics or rehearsed dialogue, I rely on shaping the perceptions of viewers, manipulating their maps of reality toward something I want them to think or feel.

The presumption is that reality TV is scripted. What actually happens is the illusion of reality by staging situations against an authentic backdrop. The more authentic it is to, say, have a 40-foot wave bearing down on a crab boat in the Bering Sea for Deadliest Catch , the more we can trick you into thinking a malevolent Russian trawler is out there messing with the crabber’s bait. There is a trick to it, and when it works, you feel as if you’re watching a scripted show. Although very few programs are out-and-out fake, there is deception at play in every single reality program. The producers and editors are ostensibly con artists, distracting you with grand notions while we steal from you your precious time.

But the real con that drove The Apprentice is far older than television. The “pig in the poke” comes from an idiom dating to 1555: “I’ll never buy a pig in a poke / There’s many a foul pig in a fair cloak.” It refers to the time-honored scam of selling a suckling pig at market but handing over a bag (the poke) to the purchaser, who never looks inside it. Eventually, he discovers he’s purchased something quite different.

Our show became a 21 st -century version. It’s a long con played out over a decade of watching Trump dominate prime time by shouting orders, appearing to lead, and confidently firing some of the most capable people on television, all before awarding one eligible person a job. Audiences responded to Trump’s arrogance, his perceived abilities and prescience, but mostly his confidence . The centerpiece to any confidence game is precisely that— confidence .

As I walk into my interview for The Apprentice , I inadvertently learn how important it is for every one of us involved to demonstrate confidence above all else.

I sit down with Jay Bienstock, the showrunner, who has one last producer position to fill and needs somebody capable and hardworking. His office is sparse, and the desk is strategically placed directly across from the couch, with a noticeable angle downward from his desk to whomever is seated across from him. (I’m recalling all of the quoted conversations here to the best of my ability; they are not verbatim.)

He is smiling and even laughing throughout the interview, but from the steep angle at which he gazes down on me, there is no mistaking who is in charge. He seems to like what he hears and offers to follow up with my agent. “But I have to check your references before I can hire you,” he says. “You’d be crazy not to,” I reply. He laughs, claps his hands together, and grins. “ THAT’S what I’m talking about,” he says. “That’s the confidence this show needs!”

I sit there, several inches below eyeline, and ponder what just happened. What, I wonder, is so “confident” about suggesting he’d be crazy to not check my references? Then it dawns on me. He thinks I meant “You’d be crazy not to hire me.” The signal to noise begins.

Listen to Bill Pruitt discuss this story on What Next , Slate’s daily news podcast:

Before I leave, I have to ask: Why Trump? Bienstock discovers that we both lived in New York for a time. Knowing what we know about Trump, selling the idea that intelligent people would compete to land a job working for him will be a challenge.

“The idea is to have a new and different billionaire every season—just like there’s a new and different island on Survivor . We reached out to Spielberg, Katzenberg, Geffen, among others,” he says. “Trump is the only one who agreed to sign on.” (Bienstock didn’t respond to a request for comment.)

“We’ll make it work,” Bienstock says confidently. I rise, shake his hand, and leave, and head over to Dutton’s bookstore to pick up a used copy of Trump’s The Art of the Deal . It is filled with takeaways about branding and strategizing but conveniently omits Trump bluffing his way through meetings with contractors, stiffing them when it is convenient to do so, and betraying his most trusted colleagues to get what he wants. (The book’s ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz, has since tried to get the bestseller recategorized in the Library of Congress as a work of fiction.)

Another show of confidence is the budget the series commands. It’s not as expensive as a scripted series, but for a reality show, the price is high. Never have I worked on a series with this level of funding, but the cost is justified. This needs to feel real.

New York City is the perfect—though expensive—backdrop. Trump’s actual offices are, however, less than telegenic. They are cramped, and a lot of the wood furniture is chipped or peeling. None of it is suitable to appear on camera. We need what grifters call the Big Store: a fake but authentic-looking establishment in which the con goes down. Trump Tower, at the time, is mostly condos and some offices situated in the high-rise. The mezzanine comprises vacant and overpriced retail space, all of it unfinished. Trump offers the space to the production—at a premium, naturally—and it is inside this location that we create our own “reception area” with doors leading to a fake, dimly lit, and appropriately ominous-feeling “boardroom.”

Next door, there’s the “suite” where the contestants will live, which is made to look like a trendy loft-style apartment they all share. The lodgings are made up of partitions surrounding tiny, hard bunks upon which the candidates sleep; the illusion comes from elegantly appointed common areas, where most of the interplay will go down.

During a tour of the set, I have my first encounter with Trump. I leave the suite and enter the gear room, the only vacant retail space that will remain unfinished. It is filled with equipment and crew members milling about. In walks a trio of men. In the middle is Trump, in a navy blue suit and scarlet tie. He’s surprisingly tall, and not just because of the hair. He is flanked by two even taller men. Bienstock makes introductions, and I watch as Trump shakes hands with everyone. I’d been told he would never do this, something about fearing unwanted germs. When it is my turn, I decide on the convivial two-hander and place my right hand into his and my left onto his wrist as we shake. His eye contact is limited but thorough. He is sizing me up. He looks like a wolf about to rip my throat out before turning away, offering me my first glimpse at the superstructure—his hairstyle—buttressed atop his head with what must be gallons of Aqua Net.

I watch as Trump saunters around the room, snatches up a fistful of M&Ms from the craft service table set aside for the crew, and shoves them into his mouth. Then he is gone, ushered away toward some important meeting he must attend, as if to say, to one and all present, This is unimportant .

Eventually, it’s time to roll cameras. When Trump is called to perform, we are filming the first scene of the first episode on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and he is about to deliver the first task. Filming inside this beacon of capitalism and wealth gives the series the legitimacy it needs. A con artist would call staging the scam inside a legitimate institution “playing a man against the wall.”

From the balcony overlooking the famed trading room floor, Trump will set up the entire premise of the show on camera and engage in a little banter with the other participants. This includes introducing his advisers, George Ross, an older, grouchy attorney devoted to Trump’s legal affairs, and Carolyn Kepcher, a perpetual skeptic who runs his hospitality units and one of his golf clubs. (They might be called “the shills,” others in on the con who will act as Trump’s eyes and ears.)

The contestants are there, lined up and zeroed in on by camera operators getting reaction shots to whatever it is Trump says. Although they mostly just stand and wait, they patiently go along with the proceedings. They are not in on the con. They act as “the little blind mice,” who, in fraudster terms, convey a sense of authenticity by reacting to the goings-on, like lab rats caught in a maze.

Nothing is scripted—except for what Trump needs to say. Cue cards are present, but mostly it is Bienstock running up, coaching Trump, tossing out suggestions from the script he has written for the man. The feeling is that while doing a fair job of repeating the necessary words verbatim, Trump also appears to be inadvertently shouting at the contestants. His hands shuttle back and forth as if holding an invisible accordion, a gesture now famous in memes .

Each episode is filmed over three days. For the first episode, the two teams of contestants, divided by gender, take to the streets to carry out the initial task of trying to sell lemonade for the most money. The women pulverize the men.

Having won, the women are invited upstairs for a direct look at Trump’s very own apartment in Trump Tower, a reward designed specifically to introduce viewers to the gaudy but elevated world of Donald Trump at home. The men, who lost, go back to the loft to await their fate at the hands of Trump. He will be sending one of them home.

Inside the now-empty boardroom set, a meeting with the producers is called for the first briefing of Trump before the anticipated firing. With Trump are his cronies, Ross and Kepcher. Trump is “too busy,” so they have each observed both teams in the field and make an assessment of who prevailed and who fell behind.

Now, this is important. The Apprentice is a game show regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. In the 1950s, scandals arose when producers of quiz shows fed answers to likable, ratings-generating contestants while withholding those answers from unlikable but truly knowledgeable players. Any of us involved in The Apprentice swinging the outcome of prize money by telling Trump whom to fire is forbidden.

Considering this, Bienstock wisely chooses to record these off-camera briefings in case the FCC ever rolls up on us. Rather than blurt out who they think should get canned, the two producers of that week’s episode—each following one team—are coached to equitably share with Trump the virtues and deficiencies of each member of the losing team. This renders a balanced depiction of how and why they lost. There are obvious choices of whom to fire, but we want it to be something of a horse race, to sustain the drama and keep people watching.

Satisfied he has what he needs, Trump dismisses the prefiring discussion with the wave of a hand, claiming he has places to be, let’s get on with it, etc. We proceed to set up for what will be our first boardroom.

The producers retreat to the adjacent control room to watch the event unfold. Per the show’s format, the losing team is summoned in anticipation of one of its members being sent home. Leaving their luggage in the reception area, the men walk into the boardroom, where Trump is flanked by Ross and Kepcher, waiting for them solemnly. Trump just frowns from a gigantic red leather chair, his eyeline noticeably well above those sitting across from him.

The men proceed to verbally go after one another like gladiators jousting before the emperor. Trump takes the conversation into potentially dangerous terrain, asking one contestant, who is Jewish, whether he believes in “the genetic pool.” The contestant’s retort is swift and resolute: He tells Trump that he does, in fact, have the genes, “just like you got from your father, Fred Trump, and your mother, Mary Trump.” It pours out of him. It is dramatic. It is good reality TV.

The project manager must then choose two of the men to come back to the boardroom with him while everyone else is dismissed. An off-camera prefiring consultation with Trump takes place (and is recorded), right before the three men are brought back for the eventual firing. We film Trump, Ross, and Kepcher deliberating and giving the pluses and minuses of each, remarking on how risky it was for one of the contestants to stand up for himself the way that he did. Trump turns back and forth to each, listening. His cronies stick to their stories and give added deferential treatment toward Trump, with Ross strategically reminding him, “You’ve been taking risks your entire life.”

Trump summons the three men back into the boardroom for final judging. Trump grills one and says, “I will let you stay.” ( Wow! we think. A benevolent leader. ) When he turns his attention to the other man—the one he asked about genetics—it looks clear. He is doomed. So much so that the man stands when Trump tells him, “It seems unanimous.” Trump then offhandedly tells him to sit down, calling him “a wild card,” echoing Ross’ earlier observation of the boss, Trump.

After this comes an unwieldy moment when, at the behest of Bienstock, Trump fumbles through a given line. “We have an elevator,” he says to the remaining contestant, named David, “that goes up to the suite and an elevator that goes down”—he pauses to recall the exact wording—“to the street. And, David, I’m going to ask you to take the down elevator.”

The men react and awkwardly rise. It is an unsatisfactory conclusion, given all the preceding drama.

From the control room, we all watch as the three men depart the boardroom. A quick huddle takes place between the producers and the executive from NBC. We bolt from the control room out into the boardroom and confer with Trump, telling him we will need him to say something more direct to conclude the moment when David is let go.

“Well, I’d probably just fire him,” Trump says. “Why not just say that?” Bienstock asks. “Fine,” Trump says.

We return to the control room. The three men from the losing team are brought back into the boardroom, and Trump repeats his line about the elevator, then turns to David, who already knows his fate, and adds, “David, you’re fired.”

The line insertion happened in a perilously scripted way, but it is deemed satisfactory. “You’re fired” becomes the expression we will stick with. It works. Trump comes off as decisive and to the point.

Later, Trump will try to trademark “You’re fired.” He is not successful.

Trump’s appearances make up so little of our shooting schedule that whenever he shows up to film, it isn’t just the wild-card on-camera moments we both hope for and are terrified of that put everyone on edge. It is the way he, the star (and half owner) of the show, targets people on the crew with the gaze of a hungry lion.

While leering at a female camera assistant or assessing the physical attributes of a female contestant for whoever is listening, he orders a female camera operator off an elevator on which she is about to film him. “She’s too heavy,” I hear him say.

Another female camera operator, who happens to have blond hair and blue eyes, draws from Trump comparisons to his own Ivanka Trump. “There’s a beautiful woman behind that camera,” he says toward a line of 10 different operators set up in the foyer of Trump Tower one day. “That’s all I want to look at.”

Trump corners a female producer and asks her whom he should fire. She demurs, saying something about how one of the contestants blamed another for their team losing. Trump then raises his hands, cupping them to his chest: “You mean the one with the …?” He doesn’t know the contestant’s name. Trump eventually fires her.

(In response to detailed questions about this and other incidents reported in this article, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump 2024 campaign, wrote, “This is a completely fabricated and bullshit story that was already peddled in 2016.” He said that it is surfacing now because Democrats are “desperate.”)

Trump goes about knocking off every one of the contestants in the boardroom until only two remain. The finalists are Kwame Jackson, a Black broker from Goldman Sachs, and Bill Rancic, a white entrepreneur from Chicago who runs his own cigar business. Trump assigns them each a task devoted to one of his crown-jewel properties. Jackson will oversee a Jessica Simpson benefit concert at Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, while Rancic will oversee a celebrity golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York.

Viewers need to believe that whatever Trump touches turns to gold. These properties that bear his name are supposed to glitter and gleam. All thanks to him.

Reality is another matter altogether. The lights in the casino’s sign are out. Hong Kong investors actually own the place—Trump merely lends his name. The carpet stinks, and the surroundings for Simpson’s concert are ramshackle at best. We shoot around all that.

Both Rancic and Jackson do a round-robin recruitment of former contestants, and Jackson makes the fateful decision to team up with the notorious Omarosa, among others, to help him carry out his final challenge.

With her tenure on the series nearly over, Omarosa launches several simultaneous attacks on her fellow teammates in support of her “brother” Kwame. For the fame-seeking beauty queen, it is a do-or-die play for some much-coveted screen time. As on previous tasks, Ross and Kepcher will observe both events.

Over at Trump National Golf Club, where I am stationed, it is sunny and bright, set against luscious fall colors. I am driven up to the golf club from Manhattan to scout. With me are the other producers, all of whom are men. We meet Trump at one of the homes he keeps for himself on the grounds of the club.

“Melania doesn’t even know about this place,” he says out loud to us, snickering, implying that the home’s function is as his personal lair for his sexual exploits, all of which are unknown to his then-fiancée Melania Knauss.

We are taken around the rest of the club’s property and told what to feature on camera and what to stay away from. The clubhouse is a particularly necessary inclusion, and it is inside these luxurious confines where I have the privilege of meeting the architect. Finding myself alone with him, I make a point of commending him for what I feel is a remarkable building. The place is genuinely spectacular. He thanks me.

“It’s bittersweet,” he tells me. “I’m very proud of this place, but …” He hesitates. “I wasn’t paid what was promised,” he says. I just listen. “Trump pays half upfront,” he says, “but he’ll stiff you for the rest once the project is completed.”

“He stiffed you?”

“If I tried to sue, the legal bills would be more than what I was owed. He knew that. He basically said Take what I’m offering ,” and I see how heavy this is for the man, all these years later. “So, we sent the invoice. He didn’t even pay that,” he says. None of this will be in the show. Not Trump’s suggested infidelities, nor his aversion toward paying those who work for him.

When the tasks are over, we are back in the boardroom, having our conference with Trump about how the two finalists compare—a conversation that I know to be recorded. We huddle around him and set up the last moments of the candidates, Jackson and Rancic.

Trump will make his decision live on camera months later, so what we are about to film is the setup to that reveal. The race between Jackson and Rancic should seem close, and that’s how we’ll edit the footage. Since we don’t know who’ll be chosen, it must appear close, even if it’s not.

We lay out the virtues and deficiencies of each finalist to Trump in a fair and balanced way, but sensing the moment at hand, Kepcher sort of comes out of herself. She expresses how she observed Jackson at the casino overcoming more obstacles than Rancic, particularly with the way he managed the troublesome Omarosa. Jackson, Kepcher maintains, handled the calamity with grace.

“I think Kwame would be a great addition to the organization,” Kepcher says to Trump, who winces while his head bobs around in reaction to what he is hearing and clearly resisting.

“Why didn’t he just fire her?” Trump asks, referring to Omarosa. It’s a reasonable question. Given that this the first time we’ve ever been in this situation, none of this is something we expected.

“That’s not his job,” Bienstock says to Trump. “That’s yours.” Trump’s head continues to bob.

“I don’t think he knew he had the ability to do that,” Kepcher says. Trump winces again.

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?”

Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

Bienstock does a half cough, half laugh, and swiftly changes the topic or throws to Ross for his assessment. What happens next I don’t entirely recall. I am still processing what I have just heard. We all are. Only Bienstock knows well enough to keep the train moving. None of us thinks to walk out the door and never return. I still wish I had. (Bienstock and Kepcher didn’t respond to requests for comment.)

Afterward, we film the final meeting in the boardroom, where Jackson and Rancic are scrutinized by Trump, who, we already know, favors Rancic. Then we wrap production, pack up, and head home. There is no discussion about what Trump said in the boardroom, about how the damning evidence was caught on tape. Nothing happens.

We go home and face the next phase of our assignment, the editing. In stitching the footage together, the swindle we are now involved in ascends to new levels.

Editing in a reality TV show is what script writing is to a narrative series. A lot of effort goes into the storytelling because, basically, in every single unscripted series—whether it’s a daytime talk show, an adventure documentary, or a shiny floor dance-off—there are three versions: There’s what happens, there’s what gets filmed, and there’s what gets cut down into 43 minutes squeezed between commercial breaks. Especially for a competition series, it’s important that the third version represent the first as much as possible. A defeated contestant could show up in the press and cry foul if they’re misrepresented. Best to let people fail of their own accord. That said, we look after our prized possessions in how we edit the series, and some people fare better than others.

We attend to our thesis that only the best and brightest deserve a job working for Donald Trump. Luckily, the winner, Bill Rancic, and his rival, Kwame Jackson, come off as capable and confident throughout the season. If for some reason they had not, we would have conveniently left their shortcomings on the cutting room floor. In actuality, both men did deserve to win.

Without a doubt, the hardest decisions we faced in postproduction were how to edit together sequences involving Trump. We needed him to sound sharp, dignified, and clear on what he was looking for and not as if he was yelling at people. You see him today: When he reads from a teleprompter, he comes off as loud and stoic. Go to one of his rallies and he’s the off-the-cuff rambler rousing his followers into a frenzy. While filming, he struggled to convey even the most basic items. But as he became more comfortable with filming, Trump made raucous comments he found funny or amusing—some of them misogynistic as well as racist. We cut those comments. Go to one of his rallies today and you can hear many of them.

If you listen carefully, especially to that first episode, you will notice clearly altered dialogue from Trump in both the task delivery and the boardroom. Trump was overwhelmed with remembering the contestants’ names, the way they would ride the elevator back upstairs or down to the street, the mechanics of what he needed to convey. Bienstock instigated additional dialogue recording that came late in the edit phase. We set Trump up in the soundproof boardroom set and fed him lines he would read into a microphone with Bienstock on the phone, directing from L.A. And suddenly Trump knows the names of every one of the contestants and says them while the camera cuts to each of their faces. Wow , you think, how does he remember everyone’s name? While on location, he could barely put a sentence together regarding how a task would work. Listen now, and he speaks directly to what needs to happen while the camera conveniently cuts away to the contestants, who are listening and nodding. He sounds articulate and concise through some editing sleight of hand.

Then comes the note from NBC about the fact that after Trump delivers the task assignment to the contestants, he disappears from the episode after the first act and doesn’t show up again until the next-to-last. That’s too long for the (high-priced) star of the show to be absent.

There is a convenient solution. At the top of the second act, right after the task has been assigned but right before the teams embark on their assignment, we insert a sequence with Trump, seated inside his gilded apartment, dispensing a carefully crafted bit of wisdom. He speaks to whatever the theme of each episode is—why someone gets fired or what would lead to a win. The net effect is not only that Trump appears once more in each episode but that he also now seems prophetic in how he just knows the way things will go right or wrong with each individual task. He comes off as all-seeing and all-knowing. We are led to believe that Donald Trump is a natural-born leader.

Through the editorial nudge we provide him, Trump prevails. So much so that NBC asks for more time in the boardroom to appear at the end of all the remaining episodes. (NBC declined to comment for this article.)

When it comes to the long con, the cherry on top is the prologue to the premiere. It’s a five-minute-long soliloquy delivered by Trump at the beginning of the first episode, the one titled “Meet the Billionaire.” Over a rousing score, it features Trump pulling out all the stops, calling New York “ my city” and confessing to crawling out from under “billions of dollars in debt.” There’s Trump in the back of limousines. Trump arriving before throngs of cheering crowds outside Trump Tower. Trump in his very own helicopter as it banks over midtown—the same helicopter with the Trump logo that, just like the airplane, is actually for sale to the highest bidder. The truth is, almost nothing was how we made it seem.

So, we scammed. We swindled. Nobody heard the racist and misogynistic comments or saw the alleged cheating, the bluffing, or his hair taking off in the wind. Those tapes, I’ve come to believe, will never be found.

No one lost their retirement fund or fell on hard times from watching The Apprentice . But Trump rose in stature to the point where he could finally eye a run for the White House, something he had intended to do all the way back in 1998. Along the way, he could now feed his appetite for defrauding the public with various shady practices.

In 2005 thousands of students enrolled in what was called Trump University, hoping to gain insight from the Donald and his “handpicked” professors. Each paid as much as $35,000 to listen to some huckster trade on Trump’s name. In a sworn affidavit, salesman Ronald Schnackenberg testified that Trump University was “fraudulent.” The scam swiftly went from online videoconferencing courses to live events held by high-pressure sales professionals whose only job was to persuade attendees to sign up for the course. The sales were for the course “tuition” and had nothing whatsoever to do with real estate investments. A class action suit was filed against Trump.

That same year, Trump was caught bragging to Access Hollywood co-host Billy Bush that he likes to grab married women “by the pussy,” adding, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” He later tried to recruit porn actor Stormy Daniels for The Apprentice despite her profession and, according to Daniels, had sex with her right after his last son was born. (His alleged attempt to pay off Daniels is, of course, the subject of his recent trial.)

In October 2016—a month before the election—the Access Hollywood tapes were released and written off as “locker room banter.” Trump paid Daniels to keep silent about their alleged affair. He paid $25 million to settle the Trump University lawsuit and make it go away.

He went on to become the first elected president to possess neither public service nor military experience. And although he lost the popular vote, Trump beat out Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College, winning in the Rust Belt by just 80,000 votes.

Trump has been called the “reality TV president,” and not just because of The Apprentice . The Situation Room, where top advisers gathered, became a place for photo-ops, a bigger, better boardroom. Trump swaggered and cajoled, just as he had on the show. Whom would he listen to? Whom would he fire? Stay tuned. Trump even has his own spinoff, called the House of Representatives, where women hurl racist taunts and body-shame one another with impunity. The State of the Union is basically a cage fight. The demands of public office now include blowhard buffoonery.

I reached out to Apollo, the Vegas perceptions expert, to discuss all of this. He reminded me how if a person wants to manipulate the signal, they simply turn up the noise. “In a world that is so uncertain,” he said, “a confidence man comes along and fills in the blanks. The more confident they are, the more we’re inclined to go along with what they suggest.”

A reality TV show gave rise to an avaricious hustler, and a deal was made: Subvert the facts, look past the deficiencies, deceive where necessary, and prevail in the name of television ratings and good, clean fun.

Trump is making another run at the White House and is leading in certain polls. People I know enthusiastically support him and expect he’ll return to office. It’s not just hats, sneakers, a fragrance, or Bibles. Donald Trump is selling his vision of the world, and people are buying it.

Knowing all they know, how could these people still think he’s capable of being president of the United States?

Perhaps they watched our show and were conned by the pig in the poke.