By Libby Hill
Los Angeles Times
During the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning, President Donald Trump took time to request prayers for an old friend: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Trump was introduced at the breakfast by Mark Burnett, producer and creator of “The Apprentice,” the series that first beamed Donald Trump into American homes on a weekly basis.
The president called Burnett a “special, special friend” before pivoting to his concerns about the current ratings for “Celebrity Apprentice,” now hosted by Schwarzenegger.
“We had tremendous success on ‘The Apprentice,’” Trump said of his history with Burnett. “And when I ran for president, I had to leave the show. That’s when I knew for sure that I was doing it. And they hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place. And we know how that turned out.
“The ratings went down the tubes. It’s been a total disaster, and Mark will never, ever bet against Trump again,” Trump added. “And I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings, OK?”
Schwarzenegger had an immediate response for Trump’s thoughts and prayers.
“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,” Schwarzenegger said in a video posted on Twitter.
This is not the first time that Schwarzenegger and Trump have engaged in a war of words.
The former governor of California announced in October that he would not be voting for the Republican candidate for president, for the first time since becoming an American citizen in 1983.
In January, Trump tweeted his concern about the ratings for “Celebrity Apprentice,” saying, “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.”
In response, Schwarzenegger tweeted, “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.”
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