Trump: I'll Spend 'Zero Time' On 'Celebrity Apprentice'
President-elect Donald Trump declared in a tweet this morning that he will spend "zero time" working on the reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice," despite plans that he remain as an executive producer on the program while he is president.
Trump said on the tweet that although he has a "big stake" in the show he won't commit time to it.
He also this morning deleted a tweet pertaining to "Celebrity Apprentice" which contained a typing or spelling error.
"Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous & untrue - FAKE NEWS!" Trump tweeted early this morning, misspelling the word "ridiculous." He later deleted that tweet and posted a new one with the correct spelling of the word.
Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway on Friday defended Trump's decision to stay on as an executive producer for the show. She said on CNN that Trump is conferring with experts about "what he is allowed to do and not do as president of the United States ... If [serving as executive producer on 'Celebrity Apprentice'] is one of the approved activities, then perhaps he'll consider staying on."
"Were we so concerned about the hours and hours and hours spent on the golf course by the current president? I mean presidents have a right to do things in their spare time or their leisure time. I mean nobody objects to that," Conway said. "Whether it's President Obama or President Donald Trump, the idea that these men are going to be all work and nothing else all the time is just unrealistic because it's never happened in our lifetimes."
Earlier this week, a representative for MGM, which holds a majority stake in Mark Burnett Productions, the company that owns "The Apprentice," said Trump is set to remain as an executive producer of "Celebrity Apprentice."
When asked about Trump's role on the show, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told ABC News, "Mr. Trump has a big stake in the show and conceived of it with Mark Burnett. Additional details regarding his business interests will be shared Dec. 15."
