Bill Rancic reflects on support from Donald Trump on The Apprentice: "He was great to me"

Bill Rancic is still Donald Trump's top "Apprentice" 20 years after winning the business competition series.

Despite allegations of racism and toxicity behind the scenes of the former NBC reality show, Rancic asserts that the former president treated him "exceptionally well."

“He was great to me,” the entrepreneur, 53, tells Page Six exclusively while promoting his new “Dollar Bill with Bill Rancic” podcast.

“He wanted to lift me up, wanted me to become very successful, and I think that’s his objective, you know, with what he’s doing now. He wants everyone to do really well.”

Rancic states that "The Apprentice" taught him to "work hard" because Trump, 78, consistently gave his best effort every day, regardless of the time zone.

“When I used to travel around the world with him, he was the first guy at it, last guy to call it a day,” the restaurateur recalls.

“It was exhausting … and it was hard to keep up with him, I’ll tell you that.”

Rancic competed against 15 other contestants in the first season of "The Apprentice" in 2004 and was ultimately chosen by Trump over fellow finalist Kwame Jackson. While working for the real estate magnate's company, he managed the construction of Trump Tower Chicago.

“No one should outwork you,” the “You’re Hired” author says of what he learned from the once-again presidential nominee.

Rancic previously praised Trump immediately after the Republican candidate won the 2016 election, attributing the victory to his campaign's "hard work."

“You saw him on that campaign trail. He was doing six, seven, eight, 10 stops a day,” the RPM Italian co-owner told CNBC at the time.

“I think he expects the same from the people that work with him and that he’s going to surround himself with.”