Is Arnold Schwarzenegger Still a Republican After Endorsing Harris Over Trump?

More than immoderate predetermination successful history, the contention for the White House successful 2024 has seen radical taking sides – and not the ones you mightiness thing.

Just days earlier the Presidential election, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a good known and respected Republican, joined the ranks of the Cheneys and Bushes and endorsed Kamala Harris for President.

The histrion and erstwhile Governor of California has fixed speeches astatine the Republican National Convention. Perhaps much importantly, helium ran and won arsenic a Republican during his clip heading California’s enforcement branch.

However, Schwarzenegger is an outspoken proponent of biology protections and of securing democracy. He has besides been 1 of disgraced erstwhile president Donald Trump’s astir vocal critics.

Considering that helium represents values that are antithetical to the ascendant ideology of the GOP and his endorsement of Harris, tin Schwarzenegger inactive truly telephone himself a Republican?

Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks during the 10X Growth Conference 2024 astatine The Diplomat Beach Resort connected April 04, 2024. (Photo Credit: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

“I Will Always beryllium an American Before I americium a Republican”

On the Wednesday earlier the election, Arnold announced helium would beryllium voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz successful a uncommon endorsement.

The  longtime Republican criticized Donald Trump and said a 2nd word for the erstwhile president would marque radical “angrier and angrier, much divided, and much hateful.”

Arnold has agelong been a professional of the erstwhile Presidents policies, but to spell truthful acold arsenic to endorse the Democratic nominee, proves that this contention is truly supra putting policies implicit politics.

“He volition divide, helium volition insult, helium volition find caller ways to beryllium much un-American than helium already has been, and we, the people, volition get thing but much anger,” Schwarzenegger said connected his station connected societal media.

The week before, Trump said the US is “like a garbage tin for the world” as helium railed against amerciable migration astatine a run rally successful Arizona.

“To idiosyncratic similar maine who talks to radical each implicit the satellite and inactive knows America is the shining metropolis connected a hill, calling America is simply a trash tin for the satellite is truthful unpatriotic, it makes maine furious. And I volition ever beryllium an American earlier I americium a Republican. That’s why, this week, I americium voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Schwarzenegger said in a station connected X.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Explains His Politics

As you tin spot successful the video below, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke to ABC’s Meet The Press successful October of 2023 to clarify his governmental affiliation.

“When I spell up to Capitol Hill and I conscionable with my Republican colleagues, I person a large clip gathering with them,” helium described.

“And,” Schwarzenegger continued, “talking astir the situation and talking astir the important issues.”

“I don’t look astatine them arsenic benignant of crazies similar immoderate radical do,” Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed of his chap Republicans.

“There are immoderate that are extreme,” helium freely acknowledged.

“But,” Schwarzenegger past added, “there’s nary crushed to villainize anybody.” That is existent enough. People who are villains thin to villainize themselves without anyone’s help.

Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks onstage during the Holocaust Museum LA gala aft being honored with archetypal Award of Courage astatine The Beverly Hills Hotel connected November 06, 2023. (Photo Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Holocaust Museum LA)

But does Arnold Schwarzenegger inactive ‘fit in’ with the Republican Party?

Despite his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment and 2021 effort to usurp those predetermination results by efficaciously siccing his astir convulsive followers connected Congress to forestall the ceremonial designation of his defeat, Donald Trump inactive enjoys wide enactment wrong the Republican Party and is the presumptive nominee for the 2024 election.

Mike Johnson is simply a clime science-doubter, an election-denier, and a Trump supporter. He is besides the Republican Speaker of the House, elected to that presumption by his peers successful Congress.

At present, each crossed the federation and connected each governmental level, GOP operatives are astatine enactment restricting elector rights and mostly laying the groundwork to bring astir a 2024 Trump victory.

Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks onstage astatine an Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger presented by Fane astatine London Palladium connected October 24, 2023. (Photo Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Fane)

Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger is simply a staunch protagonist of biology protections. The extremist deregulation docket pushed by the acold close is antithetical to his stances.

In the aftermath of the January 6 onslaught connected the US Capitol, Schwarzenegger accurately described Trump arsenic the “worst president ever.”

He besides condemned the “spinelessness” of members of his ain enactment who were “complicit” successful the worst onslaught connected America itself since 9/11. Schwarzenegger’s comments drew precise close comparisons to escalating Nazi unit from his homeland of Austria.

Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger inactive portion of the GOP?

Political enactment affiliation is nary elemental matter. Schwarzenegger intelligibly feels that determination are capable of his values wrong the Republican Party that helium tin prevention it from the radicalization that has taken implicit it.

And so, helium stays.

The GOP that helium envisions mightiness not beryllium 1 that anyone calved wrong the past 40 years would recognize, but determination are surely Republicans who correspond conservatism without (overt) achromatic supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, oregon immoderate of the Republican Party’s different existent defining features.

Some whitethorn reason that Schwarzenegger is simply a Republican by habit. Many Americans person older relatives who voted for GOP candidates backmost erstwhile airplanes had “smoking sections” and ne'er shook the governmental label, adjacent if they abhor Trump and each that helium represents.

Identity tin beryllium a hard happening to unpack and redefine.