Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race, complaining that former President Donald J. Trump will “divide,” “insult,” and be “un-American” if he is reelected.
Schwarzenegger, an Austrian immigrant whose father was a Nazi veteran, railed, “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 [sic] a trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious”—misrepresenting Trump’s warning that the Democrats have made America “like a garbage can for the world” by turning a blind eye to illegal immigration.
“I will always be an American before I am a Republican. That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” he said, insisting, “We need to close the door on this chapter of American history.”
Schwarzenegger won California’s governorship as a Republican in 2003, despite being accused of groping by six women. He denied the charges at the time but finally admitted to it last year.
After Trump embarked on his first presidential run, Schwarzenegger took over as frontman for The Apprentice, but failed to achieve his predecessor’s ratings. Trump has ribbed Schwarzenegger frequently over this failure, after the neoliberal actor turned on the populist businessman during his first Republican primary.
After Trump’s election, Schwarzenegger, 77, grew increasingly erratic, exploding “Screw your freedom!” at Americans who did not want to mask or take Covid vaccinations in 2021.
show lessI 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
