Also, if you value loyalty, and an employee says "She's really good but don't hire her" what does that make you think? I respect Randal -- but I respected him more 15 minutes ago.
And I think you make the best case here - It was up to Trump to hire an apprentice, not Randal. If he wanted to hire both of them, he should have hired both of them. It shouldn't have been Randal's decision.
As to Randal's decision, I think he made the right one. She may be a firecracker and solid as a rock, but while he has time and time again expressed respect for her, I don't think he thought she had what it took. And how the question was phrased, "if you were me, would you hire her as well?" I think he not only answered it properly, but exactly how Trump felt. He wanted to be convinced, yes, but the name of the game is The Apprentice, and that was what he got.
Had Randal argued differently, yes, she would have been hired. It would not surprise me if Trump did indeed hire her; but she won't be The Apprentice and that's right in my mind.
He said "not tonight" when asked about hiring her. He was right in my opinion.