Arnold Schwarzenegger quits Celebrity Apprentice with dig at Donald Trump

Arnold Schwarzenegger has quit the The New Celebrity Apprentice, blaming the show's poor ratings on former host Donald Trump.

The Hollywood star has been involved in a number of public spats with the US president, who remains credited as an executive producer of the show.

In a statement about his decision to leave, Schwarzenegger blamed Trump for driving away viewers with his continued involvement which 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".

He said: "It's a very divisive period now and I think this show got caught up in all that division."

The latest show has finished its run with the poorest ratings of any of its celebrity incarnations - something the president later seized upon after tweeting about President Obama wire-tapping him.

In January, Trump taunted the former California governor in a tweet, referring to himself as a "ratings machine" and saying Schwarzenegger had "got swamped" by comparison.

The Republican later said the show had been a "total disaster" since Schwarzenegger took over, with the actor responding by suggesting they should switch jobs.

In a statement Schwarzenegger said: "I loved every second of working with NBC and (executive producer) Mark Burnett.

"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."