Trump raps Schwarzenegger at National Prayer Breakfast

US President Donald Trump attends the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, US, February 2, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

The back-and-forth between the president and his reality TV show successor had the feel of a WrestleMania "feud" meant to drive up audience interest — and ratings. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said later Thursday that Trump was just trying to have a "light-hearted moment" with a personal friend.

Trump, who helped conceive and build the "Apprentice" franchise with Burnett, retains a financial stake in those TV shows and is listed as an executive producer.

Trump has said it's a courtesy title for which he is doing no work. He has not detailed how much money he's making from this season.

Financial disclosures Trump filed during the campaign show his company, Trump Productions, earned about $5.9 million from "The Apprentice" shows in 2015.

Thursday was not the first time that Trump has criticized Schwarzenegger over the show's ratings. Trump tweeted last month that Schwarzenegger was "swamped" in his "Celebrity Apprentice" debut "by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT."