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Kawasaki Motors Corp USA spokesman Kevin Allen said in a
phone interview on Wednesday that Trump's role as an executive
producer on the show sparked negative feedback from customers
and unease among its executives, prompting the company to sever
ties with the show.
Hours later, however, the company issued a brief statement
saying, "Recently published comments relating to The New
Celebrity Apprentice and President-elect Donald Trump's
involvement in the show attributed to a Kawasaki employee are a
misrepresentation of the company's position and the employee is
no longer with the company."
The statement did name the employee and did not make clear the
company's current relationship to the show. Kawasaki Motors Corp
USA did not respond to an email from Reuters asking for
clarifications.
The show had aired on Sunday an episode in which contestants
were asked to design a marketing campaign for a new Kawasaki
motor bike.
Movie star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
replaced Trump as host of the show last year after the New York
businessman began his campaign for the White House.
But Trump, who originated the "Apprentice" role in 2004,
retained an executive producer credit, which usually involves
payment, despite being elected as U.S. president in November.
"The New Celebrity Apprentice" airs on NBC, which could not
immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Kawasaki Motors Corp USA is a unit of Japan's Kawasaki Heavy
Industries Ltd. <7012.T>
Trump is to be inaugurated as U.S. president in Washington on
Friday.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Additional reporting by Curtis
Skinner; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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