ARNOLD Schwarzenegger, star of the new version of Celebrity Apprentice has defended President-elect Donald Trump after he has announced he will retain a producer’s stake in the show.

Schwarzenegger said that it’s just business, and compared Trump’s situation to when he became California’s governor and retained a screen credit and kept earning royalties for the Terminator movie.

“So, I think this is a contract that he had and I think it’s great that he was part of it,” Schwarzenegger said during a red-carpet event for NBC’s The New Celebrity Apprentice.

Replacing Trump as boss in the reality show’s boardroom meant “big shoes to fill,” he added.

Cast members including Boy George, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Eric Dickerson compete to raise money for charity, advised by Warren Buffett, Steve Ballmer and other financial heavyweights.

A spokeswoman for Apprentice creator Mark Burnett confirmed that Trump remains an executive producer on the latest edition of the long-running Apprentice franchise. The eight episodes ordered by NBC from MGM, where Burnett is president of its TV and digital group, were taped last February.

Trump’s continued profit from a TV series is yet another unprecedented aspect of the election of a businessman and reality star to the presidency, with questions raised about how his holdings may intersect with his presidential decisions. The extent of his involvement with Apprentice is unclear, including how much he earns from it. The show last aired in 2015, and with Trump starring.

Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway told CNN that his ties to the reality show are being reviewed by experts looking into the president-elect’s business ties. She compared Trump’s continued interest in the entertainment industry to President Barack Obama’s off-hours golfing.

“Presidents have a right to do things in their spare time, in their leisure time, and nobody objects to that,” she said.

Tyra Banks, an adviser on series, said Friday she had just learned of Trump’s producer status “so I’m still processing.”

TV personality Carrie Keagan, one of the contestants, said the show belongs to a different boss now.

“It’s a brand-new show,” she said. “It’s an Arnold Schwarzenegger show now. It’s his brand. There was no talk of anything else when we started the show. And hopefully there will be no more talk of anything else after.”

TRUMP GIVE AN AUSSIE A KEY ROLE

Trump named Australian-born Andrew Liveris to head up an “American manufacturing council” that will be tasked with bringing industry back to the US.

Mr Liveris, who is the current chairman and chief executive of Dow Chemical Co, will head the Manufacturing Council, a private sector group that advises the US secretary of commerce.

Trump made the announcement during a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, where he introduced Liveris, 62, a dual US-Australian citizen after he accepted the appointment.

The panel to promote US manufacturing will be “tasked with finding ways to bring industry back to America,” Trump said.

Liveris praised Trump’s economic plans, saying: “You’re paving the way ... with your policies to make it easier to do business in this country — not a red-tape country but a red-carpet country for American businesses.”

Liveris told the audience that Dow would soon bring a new research-and-development centre to Michigan.

Mr Liveris is also a friend of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and spent Easter Sunday at his Point Piper mansion this year. He and his wife Paula bought a $8.5 million home in the exclusive Sydney suburb, which is near the PM’s home.

Mr Liveris is Darwin-born and the son of Greek immigrants. He attended the University of Queensland, and is described as an “extraordinary networker” by Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey.

Records also show that Liveris has donated to both Republican and Democrat campaigns in the past.

In 2012, Liveris personally donated more than $US40,000 ($A53,699) to groups supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Democrat President Obama.

During this year’s election, he refused to endorse Hillary Clinton or Trump.

While he believed Trump “has an audience”, he thought Clinton was “the better candidate”.

Liveris was also forced to repay $US300 ($A399) on flowers he bought for Ms Clinton, who was the Secretary of State on New Year’s Eve in 2012.

Mr Liveris has also previously been a member of the invitation-only Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a collaboration focused on women and poverty.

In January 2014, Liveris was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for “services to international business”. He also received two honorary doctorates, from The University of Queensland and Michigan State University.

TRUMP TEAM DISMISSES CIA REPORT

Donald Trump’s transition team is dismissing a report that the CIA believes Russia tried to intervene in the U.S. election because it wanted Trump to win. A Friday night statement released by the transition team notes that the CIA “are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.” U.S. intelligence officials have accused Russia of hacking into Democratic officials’ email accounts in an attempt to interfere with the presidential campaign. The Washington Post, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported Friday that the CIA has concluded that Russia aimed specifically to help Trump win the presidency.

The transition team statement says: “The election ended a long time ago. ... It’s now time to move on and ‘Make America Great Again.”’

TRUMP’S NEXT TV INTERVIEW

CBS Sports says it will interview President-elect Donald Trump during Saturday’s Army-Navy game in Baltimore.

Trump is attending the annual football game between the rival military academies.

CBS Sports says Trump will be interviewed by Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson during the third quarter of the game.

Transition officials said earlier this week that Trump will sit on Navy’s side of the field for one half of the game, and on Army’s side for the other. President Barack Obama attended the game in 2011. President George W. Bush also attended the game while in office.

GUILIANI PULLS OUT OF TRUMP’S TEAM

President-elect Donald Trump says Rudy Giuliani is taking himself out of consideration for a position in his administration.

Giuliani, a loyal Trump supporter throughout the campaign, was an early front- runner to be secretary of state. But he faced questions about his overseas business ties and Trump began looking at other candidates, including Mitt Romney.

In a statement, Trump says Giuliani would have been an “outstanding” Cabinet secretary in several roles. He says he respects the former New York City mayor’s decision to remain in the private sector.

Reince Priebus, Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, says Giuliani was vetted by the transition team for possible conflicts and “passed with flying colours.” Trump is yet to announce his pick to lead the State Department.