NBC to Arnold: ‘You’re Hired!’

Donald Trump may no longer be chairman of the “Celebrity Apprentice” board — and gone, too, are his kids, who often helped him make his famous firing decisions — but there’s a new guy who appears more than ready to take the job.

In a just-released promo for the show, Arnold Schwarzenegger is unveiled as an even more fearsome boss.

Will he say “Hasta la vista, baby!” as he did as the Terminator?

It’s all too perfect, as the former Republican governor of California takes over for the Republican presidential candidate, who is done with the successful reality show he created as “The Apprentice” in 2004. When Trump announced his campaign last year, NBC confirmed that he would not return to the series and earlier this month NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said that Trump will not be back — even if he loses the presidential bid.

Last year, NBC cut all ties to Trump after he made remarks about illegal immigrants from Mexico, saying it would no longer air Trump’s beauty pageants, Miss USA and Miss Universe, and that Trump would no longer host “Celebrity Apprentice.” Soon after, Trump responded by calling NBC “weak.”

Enter Arnold.

A futuristic robot is featured building the new Arnold boss, who is smoking a cigar and says, “Let’s get down to business.”

[lz_third_party includes=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLO5ZmO_Y-w”]

Season 8 of “The Celebrity Apprentice” will feature Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Boy George, Carnie Wilson, Jon Lovitz, Laila Ali, Brooke Burke-Charvet, Eric Dickerson, Matt Iseman, Carrie Keagan, Carson Kressley, Lisa Leslie, Vince Neil, Kyle Richards, Porsha Williams, Chael Sonnen, and Ricky Williams.

Schwarzenegger will be aided by advisers including Warren Buffett, Steve Ballmer, Tyra Banks, Jessica Alba, and his nephew, Patrick Knapp Schwarzenegger (not to be confused with his son with Maria Shriver, model/actor Patrick Schwarzenegger).

Interestingly, the promo was unveiled on the same day that reports surfaced quoting a Vanity Fair story noting that Trump had a conversation in 2011 with NBCUniversal Chief Executive Steve Burke, during which they “outlined, presumably fantastically, that Trump should run for president; and on the off-chance that he won, he would continue to star in ‘The Apprentice’ from within the White House.”

He won’t have a shot at the “Apprentice” part of that scenario now. The new season of “Celebrity Apprentice” premieres in January 2017 on NBC — when Trump might just be watching from the White House.

The only question is: Will Arnold be using the signature Trump line of “You’re fired”?

Maybe he’ll opt for his own trademark “Terminator 2” line: “Hasta la vista, baby!” But in these sensitive times, that might not pass NBC’s standards.

Maybe he needs to just say: “You’re terminated!”