Trump to Continue to Get Paid for 'Celebrity Apprentice'

Despite President-elect Donald Trump's assurances that he would turn over all his business dealings to his children when he takes office next month, he will continue to be on the payroll of Celebrity Apprentice. Trump will get an Executive Producer credit on the reality series, which will be hosted by Arnold Schwartzenegger next season.

Trump's role in the production raises concerns about conflicts of interest, given that it's unprecedented for a President to be paid, albeit indirectly, by a broadcast television network. Trump will be paid by MGM Television, which owns the series, not directly by NBC. Still, critics say that the deal ties Trump too closely to a network whose news organization will be responsible for reporting on his presidency.

Trump's transition team explained that "Mr. Trump has a big stake in the show and conceived of it with Mark Burnett." However, Trump has never been credited as a co-creator of the series, which was conceived by Burnett's production company, and the announcement of his EP credit comes as a surprise to some industry observers.

The move also complicates NBC's announcement, early in this year's presidential campaign, that it was cutting its ties with Trump. The network cancelled its broadcasts of Trump-sponsored beauty pageants and removed him as host of Celebrity Apprentice after Trump's derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants.