Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California and a long-time critic of Donald Trump, has issued a rare and surprising endorsement across party lines, backing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, in the upcoming election.
This move is believed to be motivated in part by Schwarzenegger’s growing frustration with Trump’s politics, particularly following the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, which Schwarzenegger strongly condemned at the time.
In a detailed post on X, Schwarzenegger explained his decision, emphasizing his belief in putting America’s future above partisan loyalty.
“I will always be an American before I am a Republican,” he declared. “That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do. You don’t recognize our country. And you are right to be furious.”
Schwarzenegger, who served as governor from 2003 to 2011, has rarely endorsed political candidates, and he expressed in the post that he typically avoids the practice and “hates politics” because he “doesn’t trust most politicians.”
However, the former governor felt a moral imperative to back Harris and Walz, noting that the American public is living the consequences of political stagnation while politicians benefit from unfulfilled promises. He criticized leaders across the political spectrum for failing to tackle longstanding issues like national debt and immigration reform, explaining that these have become “talking points” for election campaigns rather than drivers of real, necessary change.
“It is just a game to them. But it is life for my fellow Americans. We should be pissed,” Schwarzenegger wrote, sharing his frustration.
His disdain for Trump’s brand of politics — culminating in the Capitol riots and a polarized nation — has pushed him to look beyond party labels for the good of the country.
“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 — that won’t solve our problems,” Schwarzenegger wrote.
Schwarzenegger, who took over as host of The New Celebrity Apprentice following Trump’s exit in 2016, has never shied away from publicly condemning Trump’s behavior. He notably compared the Capitol riots to Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogrom against Jews, and labeled Trump a “failed leader” destined to be remembered as “the worst president ever.”
In his post, Schwarzenegger returned to this theme, condemning Trump’s unpatriotic rhetoric and his refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
“Rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets,” Schwarzenegger asserted, noting his anger at Trump’s portrayal of America in divisive, negative terms. “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 [a] trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious.”
Warning of the potential consequences of a Trump re-election, Schwarzenegger painted a grim picture of “four more years of bulls**t with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful.”
He argued that Trump’s approach would continue the dysfunction and discord in American society rather than bridge divides.
“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history,” he emphasized, insisting that Trump’s leadership style is incompatible with national healing.
In contrast, Schwarzenegger expressed his support for Harris and Walz as a pragmatic choice, despite ideological differences.
“I want to move forward as a country,” he explained, “and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz.”
His endorsement, therefore, is less about shared policies and more about his belief in their ability to prioritize American unity and repair a fractured political landscape.
He urged his followers to reconsider the future direction of the country, saying, “I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do.”
Schwarzenegger’s message resonated with Americans across the political spectrum who may feel disillusioned by recent events, offering an influential perspective capable of swaying undecided voters as the election approaches.
