Trump jokes about 'Apprentice' ratings at prayer breakfast: 'I just want to pray for Arnold'
At the 65th annual event organized by The Fellowship Foundation and hosted by members of Congress, Trump joked that he would be praying for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has taken over hosting the new "Celebrity Apprentice," Trump's claim to broadcast fame.
"They hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place. And we know how that turned out," Trump said, as the crowd laughed. "The ratings went down the tubes. It's been a total disaster. And Mark will never, ever bet against Trump again. And I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings."
The show's ratings this season have sunk. According to Nielsen, 4.9 million live viewers tuned in for Schwarzenegger's premiere on January 2, whereas Trump's last season premiere in 2015 boasted 6.8 million viewers.
It's not the first public dig Trump has taken against Schwarzenegger since being elected president, though he's still listed as an executive producer on the show.
On January 6, the then-president-elect tweeted that Schwarzenegger "got 'swamped' (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT."
"But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary," Trump continued, referring to Republican and Democratic presidential candidates John Kasich and Hillary Clinton.
"I wish you the best of luck," Schwarzenegger fired back on Twitter, "and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings."