President Donald Trump and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are in a Twitter feud over Celebrity Apprentice and its ratings.
Before Celebrity Apprentice
Trump’s first tweet on Schwarzenegger back in August 2012 was complimentary, congratulating him for doing so well with the Expendables 2 movie.
Congratulations to @TheSlyStallone and Arnold @Schwarzenegger on 'Expendables 2' #1 box office opening. Still going strong!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2012
The next tweet followed a few years later in September 2015. Trump wished Schwarzenegger well as he took over Celebrity Apprentice, saying he was a “nice guy” but also referring to the profits he would make from the show.
I hope Arnold S. does well with the Apprentice because he is a nice guy and also, because I get a big percentage of the profits!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2015
It Only Goes Downhill From Here
Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got "swamped" (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT. So much for….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017
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
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017
It’s always nice when an elected president takes to Twitter to brag about how he is much better than everyone else.
Trump’s January 2017 tweet spurred a response from Schwarzenegger. He posted a video on Twitter and asked Trump to work as hard for America as he does for his ratings.
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.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 6, 2017
One month later, in a speech given at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump took the opportunity to slam Schwarzenegger again. He said the show was “a total disaster” and asked for prayers “for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump, at National Prayer Breakfast, talks about “The Apprentice” ratings and the time he fired his agent. pic.twitter.com/z93rGYvqqd
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 2, 2017
Minutes later, Schwarzenegger responded with another video on Twitter.
The National Prayer Breakfast? pic.twitter.com/KYUqEZbJIE
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) February 2, 2017
“Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why don’t we switch jobs? You take over TV, because you’re such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job. And then people can finally sleep comfortably again.”
The next day, Trump tweeted back and insulted Schwarzenegger not only as the host of the show but also as a governor.
Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger did a really bad job as Governor of California and even worse on the Apprentice…but at least he tried hard!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2017
Schwarzenegger To The Apprentice: “You’re Fired!”
On Friday, March 3, 2017, Schwarzenegger announced he was finished with The Celebrity Apprentice. In an interview with Empire magazine, he said:
“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. It’s a very divisive period now, and I think this show got caught up in all that division.”
Trump, in an effort to save face, took to Twitter once more. He tweeted that Schwarzenegger did not voluntarily leave but was fired by “bad (pathetic) ratings.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
To this final tweet, Schwarzenegger replied by telling Trump to get a new joke writer and fact checker.
You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker. https://t.co/SvAjuPdHfa
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 4, 2017
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, did not endorse Trump in the 2016 election, nor did he vote for him.
Featured image is a compilation by Liberal America
Arnold Schwarzenegger photo by Neon Tommy via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0
Trump photo is a screenshot from Twitter video
