Trump derides new ‘Apprentice’ while Schwarzenegger takes the high road

With the inauguration just two weeks away, President-elect Donald Trump has a lot on his plate. But that didn’t stop the future commander in chief from taking a moment Friday morning to offer his thoughts on the ratings for “The New Celebrity Apprentice.”

“Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got ‘swamped’ (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT,” Trump wrote, criticizing replacement host Schwarzenegger while also referring to himself in the third person (“DJT”).

“So much for … being a movie star — and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1. But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary.”

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour Âť

That’s a lot to unpack. 

Now that the electoral college has given him a promotion, Trump seems to have cut emotional ties with the series that once brought him so much pride.

“It's the No. 1 show on television,” Trump told the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour in 2015, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Even though he remains an executive producer on NBC’s reality series, Trump appears to be holding a grudge against the former California governor, who stated in October that he would not be voting Republican in the presidential election.

“As proud as I am to label myself a Republican, there is one label that I hold above all else — American,” Schwarzenegger said after stating that it was his duty to support the country over the party.

As for the ratings, Trump is correct that there was a significant drop from Season 14 of the show, which debuted to 6.31 million viewers and a 2.4 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds.

“The New Celebrity Apprentice” managed only 4.9 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic in ratings released Tuesday.

Those numbers come after a nearly two-year gap in the show’s production, a change of host, a change of night and a pesky election cycle that divided the country.

For his part, Schwarzenegger rebuffed Trump’s criticisms by gently directing the business magnate back to the business at hand: running the country. He couldn’t resist a zinger, though.

“I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings,” Schwarzenegger tweeted.

“The Terminator” star then referred Trump to President Lincoln’s first inauguration speech, where he appeals for a return to the “better angels of our nature,” which is as close to Twitter’s version of a high-road mic drop as you can get.

As for the rest of the president-elect’s day, he tweeted that he had been personally invited by Vogue’s Anna Wintour to meet with the editors of CondĂŠ Nast. 

Included in that group? Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, a man with whom Trump has been feuding for more than 30 years. 

In response to Vanity Fair’s recent scathing review of Trump Grill (inside Trump Tower), the president-elect tweeted, â€œHas anyone looked at the really poor numbers of Vanity Fair Magazine. Way down, big trouble, dead! Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!”

[email protected]

@midwestspitfire

ALSO

Schwarzenegger picks up President-elect Trump's warmed over leftovers in the 'New Celebrity Apprentice'

More boardroom advisors named for Trump-less next phase of 'Celebrity Apprentice'

Trump to remain executive producer on 'Celebrity Apprentice'