What We Know About Arnold Schwarzenegger's Political Views
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a dark horse. He went from Mr. Olympia to a Hollywood star. Schwarzenegger once saved a man's life and married into U.S. political royalty, saying "I do" to Maria Shriver, then became the governor of California in 2003. Shriver hails from a democratic dynasty. So does Arnold hold the same political views?
On the surface, Schwarzenegger and Schriver's marriage appeared odd. As Eunice Kennedy's daughter, and John F. Kennedy's niece, Shriver bleeds blue. So, eyebrows were raised in 1986 when she married Arnold Schwarzenegger, an outspoken moderate Republican. Schwarzenegger prefers to keep things fuzzy regarding his political ideology, like so many other aspects of his life.
"I operate with a European mind, and I also operate with an American mind. That's why no one can figure me out. It has nothing to do with 'Republican versus Democrat.' I never paid attention to any of this political stuff, period, because I think that both are full of crap," he told The New York Times. That said, Schwarzenegger ran for Governor on a Republican ticket and undoubtedly leans right, not left, on the political scale. "[There are] the Republican principles, and [there are] what the Republican Party stands for today," Schwarzenegger explained. "I am with the Republican principles. Just because someone is screwing up doesn't mean I have to leave that philosophy." So, what do we know about Arnold Schwarzenegger's political views?
Not everything's blue or red
Arnold Schwarzenegger identifies as a Republican. Still, the Environmental News Network claims the former California governor is "too, too liberal for the conservatives." Unlike many other Republicans, Schwarzenegger is an outspoken environmentalist and pro-vaxxer. He's voted on legislation to ensure equal rights for married gay couples and the expansion of anti-hate crime laws to protect trans people. He went head to head with the NRA and voted to prohibit the sale of high-powered .50-caliber weapons.
And Schwarzenegger refuses to bow down and support Donald Trump, unlike nearly 70% of GOP members who continue to stand by the beleaguered former POTUS, according to a recent NBC poll. Schwarzenegger slammed 45 following the January 6 insurrections. "President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election [...] He sought a coup by misleading people with lies," Schwarzenegger said in a video posted to Twitter. "And I know where such lies lead. President Trump is a failed leader. He will go down in history as the worst president ever."
The Los Angeles Times reports that Schwarzenegger caused a Republican firestorm after speaking out in defense of Gavin Newsom. Schwarzenegger said he believed Californians made the correct choice when they stood by the Democratic governor and refused to recall him. "I think voters made the right decision," he said. "It's better to stay with someone who you know what they're going to do rather than someone who comes in wacky and is changing everything around."
Love not hate
Arnold Schwarzenegger is retired from politics, but he's using his celebrity status to speak out against hate and anti-Semitism. It's a subject close to home for the Austrian-born actor who admitted during a recent forum that his father was a Nazi officer. "My father, and so many other millions of men, were sucked into a hate system through lies and deceits," he told CNN. "Let's just go and get along; love is more powerful than hate," he continued.
Schwarzenegger told Fox 11 News that he'd learned about acceptance and equality later in life thanks to Alfred Gerstel, the father of a bodybuilding buddy of his. "When I grew up, nobody ever talked about the Second World War, about atrocities, about Jews or anything like that," he said. The actor shared that Gerstel, who was Jewish, "always talked about the importance of inclusion." Schwarzenegger said Gerstel's words have always remained with him, helping him to remember that "everyone is equal, don't ever be prejudiced."
"If you find yourself wondering if the path of hate might make sense to you for one reason or the other, or even wrapping yourself in the flag of hate, I want you to know where that path ends," Schwarzenegger warned in his passionate Twitter video. "I've seen enough people throw away their futures for hateful beliefs. So I want to speak to you before you find your regrets at the end of that path."