Arnold Schwarzenegger, a noted Republican, has endorsed Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for president and vice president.
In a social media message posted Wednesday on X, Schwarzenegger admitted that although he unabashedly shares his political views, he doesn’t tend to endorse candidates. While the Terminator star detailed his time as California governor, highlighting his efforts to bring clean air, create more jobs, balance the state budget, and raise infrastructure investments, he also said “I hate politics more than ever.”
“I want to tune out,” he wrote. “But I can’t. Because rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets. To someone like me who talks to people all over the world and still knows America is the shining city on a hill, calling America is a trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious.”
I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.
I also understand that people want to hear from me because I am not just a celebrity, I am a former Republican Governor.
My time as Governor taught me to…
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) October 30, 2024
Schwarzenegger served as California governor from 2003 to 2011 and championed legislation around physical education and after-school programs, including the After-School Education & Safety Act. While in office, Schwarzenegger also pushed for reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the minimum wage, and updating the workers compensation system. In his statement, Schwarzenegger wrote that being American is more important than sticking to party lines.
“And I will always be an American before I am a Republican,” he continued. “That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
Schwarzenegger made references to former President Donald Trump’s rejection of the 2020 election results and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, emphasizing the Republican candidate will make the country “more divided, and more hateful,” and he will “find new ways to be more un-American.”
“But a candidate who won’t respect your vote unless it is for him, a candidate who will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke, a candidate who has shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut that helped his donors and other rich people like me but helped no one else else, a candidate who thinks Americans who disagree with him are the bigger enemies than China, Russia, or North Korea — that won’t solve our problems,” he wrote.
The former governor closed by asking readers to vote, even if they disagreed with his stance.
