Donald Trump tweeted congratulations to his pal Arnold Schwarzennegger who’s taking over his TV chair: “Congrats to my friend @Schwarzenegger who is doing next season’s Celebrity Apprentice. He’ll be great & will raise lots of $ for charity.”) But the shout out is surely the end of Trump’s generosity. No way he’s lending Arnold his “You’re fired!” catchphrase. “You’re fired!” is Trump’s signature from The Apprentice franchise, a juggernaut from which he may have earned as much as $200 million over 14 seasons.
Trump failed in his bid to trademark “You’re fired!” — but it’ll be surprising if you hear Schwarzenegger using it when he subs in. Two reasons: Schwarzenegger will probably establish his own spin on the notion so that he can own a catchphrase. (You won’t be back?) And second, Trump actually may — as Arnold once said — be back. He won’t want his assets diluted in his absence. (After all, half his claimed net worth is accounted for by the value of the Trump brand.) So what will Arnold say? The smart money has Schwarzenegger dismissing celebrity contestants with “Hasta la vista, baby.”
