In a surprising move, former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, citing concerns about election denial and the need to move the country forward.
"I don't really do endorsements," Schwarzenegger wrote in a candid social media post. "I'm not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don't trust most politicians. I don't like either party right now. My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits, and rejected election results. Democrats aren't any better at dealing with deficits, and I worry about their local policies hurting our cities with increased crime."
Despite these misgivings, Schwarzenegger emphasized that democracy concerns outweigh partisan differences. "Rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets," he declared. "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."
Reflecting on Washington's gridlock, Schwarzenegger wrote: "For decades, we've talked about the national debt. For decades, we've talked about comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border while fixing our broken immigration system. And Washington does nothing."
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
His criticism of Trump was particularly pointed: "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 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."
While acknowledging his disagreements with the Harris-Walz platform, Schwarzenegger concluded: "I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz."
The former governor closed with a bipartisan call to action: "Even if you disagree with me, vote, because that's what we do as Americans."
