The row between US President Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger over the actor-turned-Celebrity Apprentice boss' departure from the reality show is continuing, with more boardroom barbs on social media.
On Friday, the 69-year-old actor and former Governor of California revealed he was leaving the show after just one season, citing the "baggage" associated with the series. The programme, which President Trump once hosted and which still carries his name as an executive producer, finished the latest series with the poorest ratings of any of its celebrity-starring seasons.
"I loved every second of working with NBC and [Apprentice creator] Mark Burnett," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
"Everyone - from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department - was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn't have this baggage."
Taking to Twitter, President Trump claimed Schwarzenegger's time on The Celebrity Apprentice had finished because of bad ratings and that it was a "sad end" to the series.
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
Schwarzenegger was quick to respond, saying that President Trump should "think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker".
You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker. https://t.co/SvAjuPdHfa
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 4, 2017
The Terminator star had earlier blamed the divisive businessman-turned-Commander-in-Chief for driving away Celebrity Apprentice viewers with his continued involvement in the show, which Schwarzenegger said left a "bad taste".
In an interview with Empire, Schwarzenegger said people "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," he added.
In January, Trump taunted Schwarzenegger over the show's latest series in a tweet. He referred to himself as a "ratings machine" and said the actor was "swamped" by comparison.
He later said the show had been a "total disaster" since Schwarzenegger took over, with the actor responding by suggesting they should switch jobs.
