Trump, Schwarzenegger point fingers as ‘Apprentice’ sinks

NEW YORK — In typical Donald Trump fashion, the president tweeted Saturday that his replacement at the “The New Celebrity Apprentice” reality television show is to blame for its poor ratings and not, as Arnold Schwarzenegger says, Trump’s continued involvement.

Schwarzenegger, who replaced Trump as host while the president remained executive producer, announced Friday he’s through.

“With Trump being involved in the show, people have a bad taste and don’t want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show,” he said in an interview with the Empire website. “It’s a very divisive period now, and I think this show got caught up in all that division.”

But Trump, who has taunted Schwarzenegger for the show’s poor performance in the ratings and even mocked him during an address at the National Prayer Breakfast, tweeted in response Saturday: “Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show.”

NBC had no immediate comment about whether the show would return with a new host. The former California governor said he wouldn’t mind working with NBC and producer Mark Burnett again “on a show that doesn’t have this baggage.”

The show wrapped up its 15th season last month. It averaged fewer than 5 million viewers per episode. That was lower than any other incarnation except for a 2010 Trump-hosted edition without celebrities.