NEW YORK �� President-elect Donald Trump said he won't spend any time working on the new version of the TV reality show he starred in before seeking office, although he will be paid and credited as an executive producer.
"I have NOTHING to do with The Apprentice except for fact that I conceived it with Mark B & have a big stake in it," Trump posted on Twitter, referring to producer Mark Burnett. "Will devote ZERO TIME!"
A follow-up post said reports by CNN that Trump would be working on the show while president, even part time, "are ridiculous & untrue _ FAKE NEWS!"
The arrangement, unusual for a sitting president, may subject Trump to criticism from watchdogs on the lookout for conflicts of interest between America's first billionaire commander in chief and his far-flung business interests.
"Suppose the show gets poor ratings?" said Robert Stern, former general counsel for the California Fair Political Practices Commission. "Will NBC be reluctant to cancel the show since it does not want to offend the president, his Federal Communications Commission or other agencies that regulate the company?"
Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for the president-elect, didn't respond to a question about his involvement on "The New Celebrity Apprentice," saying only, "Additional details regarding Mr. Trump's business interests will be provided on Dec. 15."
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which owns the program, confirmed Trump's credit on the NBC show, while declining to comment further.
On Friday, Trump's campaign manager and transition adviser, Kellyanne Conway, raised the possibility that Trump could work on the show in his "spare time," comparing it to President Barack Obama's frequent weekend golf outings.
"Presidents have a right to do things in their spare time, in their leisure time,' Conway said on CNN. "Work is his work and work his hobby," Conway said of Trump.
Trump starred in the original "Apprentice," and he's eligible to receive proceeds from the new version because of his production role on the show, which begins airing Jan. 2 with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as host. That means that when NBC pays MGM, MGM can then give Trump his share.
When it began. "The Apprentice" featured a number of contestants competing in business-related challenges to win a job with the Trump Organization.
Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, gave up acting after his election in 2003, though his image did appear in 2009's "Terminator Salvation," which came out while he was in office. He has since returned to acting. In "The New Celebrity Attendance," celebrities will compete on behalf of charities.
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(Christopher Palmeri and Anousha Sakoui contributed to this report.)
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