Trump: I’ll devote ‘zero time’ to ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

by Elliot Smilowitz - 12/10/16 6:48 AM ET

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday morning insisted he will do no work on his reality TV show, calling any suggestion to the contrary “FAKE NEWS!”

{mosads}Reports emerged this week that Trump will retain an executive producer credit for his NBC reality series “Celebrity Apprentice” after taking office.

The president-elect tweeted that that’s nothing more than a title.

“I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!” he wrote.

“Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous & untrue – FAKE NEWS!” he added. Trump later deleted that tweet and sent an updated version with “ridiculous” spelled correctly.

I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it. Will devote ZERO TIME!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2016

Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are ridiculous & untrue – FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2016

Variety reported Thursday that Trump’s executive producer credit will likely garner him a low five-figure fee per episode, which will be paid by the production company, MGM, rather than by NBC.

The show is set to return on Jan. 2 — after a two-year hiatus — with new host Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It was not immediately apparent what CNN report Trump was attacking. However, top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway suggested to the network on Friday that the president-elect would be working on the show in his “spare time.”

Asked by CNN’s “New Day” whether his role on “Celebrity Apprentice” would distract Trump, Conway compared it to President Obama’s frequent golfing trips.

“Okay, but were we so concerned about the hours and hours and hours spent on the golf course of the current president?” Conway said.

“I mean, presidents have a right to do things in their spare time or their leisure time, I mean nobody objects to that.”

– Updated at 9:16 a.m.

Tags Donald Trump