INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Arnold Schwarzenegger Fires Back At Donald Trump: ‘We Must Not Be Enemies’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 04:27 PST, Jan 11, 2017

Arnold Schwarzenegger has fired back at Donald Trump after the U.S. President-elect criticized The Governator’s Celebrity Apprentice ratings following last week’s premiere, according to Yahoo News.

It was a rough start for the all-new Celebrity Apprentice hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it certainly wasn’t encouraging for the Terminator star to hear the future U.S. President criticize his work on the NBC show, which is a variation of The Apprentice series once hosted by Trump.

Last week, Trump posted a series of tweets on Twitter, in which he criticized Arnold Schwarzenegger for failing to match the ratings he had received when he was the host of the original 2004 show.

In the tweets, Trump said Arnold Schwarzenegger got “swamped” and “destroyed” after the reality show had plummeted 44 percent from the 2015’s The New Celebrity Apprentice hosted by Trump. The U.S. President-elect also referred to himself in the tweets as “the ratings machine.”

But Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was once Governor of California, couldn’t remain mute, so he fired back at Trump. In a passive-aggressive manner, the Terminator actor took to Twitter to wish the U.S. President-elect “the best of luck” and added he hopes Trump will work for “ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings.”

In a separate tweet, Arnold Schwarzenegger attached a video of himself quoting the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, from his inauguration in 1861. The former Governor of California also said that this quote inspired him “every day” he was Governor, and Arnold added he hopes it would inspire the future U.S. President.

The quote includes Lincoln’s words about how the Americans are “not enemies, but friends.”

“We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger finished the quote by asking Trump in the video, “isn’t it wonderful?” and adding that he loves this quote. The actor also reminded the U.S. President-elect that the presidential campaign is over and that “we are not enemies.”

“We are neighbors, we are friends, and most importantly, we are all Americans. And we have a lot of work to do to keep America great. So let’s do it. And let’s do it together.”

This is not the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger has slammed Trump. In October 2016, the Terminator actor took to Twitter to let his followers know he wouldn’t vote for Trump, adding that it was the first time he wouldn’t vote Republican in the presidential election since becoming an American citizen.

When The New Celebrity Apprentice premiered on Monday, January 2, people expected it to be a hit, according to SF Gate. And not only because it’s hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, but also because the reality show has so much to do with the future President.

But the series debuted to a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, and only 4.9 million viewers tuned in for the revamped reality show hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. People thought the holiday season was to blame for the rather weak ratings.

But this past Monday, January 9, the NBC reality show only further slipped in ratings to a 1.1 and 3.9 million viewers overall. In 2015, when the then-Trump-hosted The Celebrity Apprentice debuted its 14th season, it gathered 6.3 million viewers overall.

The weak ratings of the revamped Arnold Schwarzenegger-hosted TV series could be explained by people turning away from the show due to Trump’s continued involvement in the show as a show of protest against Trump’s presidency.

Even Trump mocking Arnold Schwarzenegger for the show’s weak debut last week didn’t get the desired attention, and the reality series continues suffering from low ratings.

[Featured Image by Brad Barket/Getty Images]

Share this article: Arnold Schwarzenegger Fires Back At Donald Trump: ‘We Must Not Be Enemies’
Donald Trump Arnold Schwarzenegger
More from Inquisitr