Arnold Schwarzenegger supports Kamala Harris: “Don’t recognize our country”

Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

“I share this with all of you because I think many of you feel the same way as me. They don't recognize our country. And you are right to be angry,” the actor and former governor of California wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The longtime Republican added that he is supporting the Democratic presidential candidate because he “will always be an American before I am a Republican.”

“That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz this week,” he said.

Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger took aim at former President Donald Trump, telling his 5 million followers that “rejecting the election results is as un-American as it gets.”

“For someone like me, who talks to people all over the world and still knows that America is the shining city on a hill, calling America a dumpster for the world is so unpatriotic that it makes me angry,” he said, referring to remarks the former president made last week in Arizona in which he compared the United States to a “trash can for the world.”

The former California governor further described Trump as “a candidate who doesn't respect your vote unless it's for him” and “a candidate who has shown no ability to work on passing any policy other than a tax cut.” helped his donors.” Other rich people like me, but they haven't helped anyone else.

Schwarzenegger added that Trump is a “candidate who thinks that Americans who disagree with him are bigger enemies than China, Russia or North Korea.”

“This will not solve our problems,” he wrote. “It will just be four more years of bullshit with no results, making us more and more angry, divided and hateful.”

He continued: “We must close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know former President Trump will not do that. He will divide, he will offend, he will find new ways to be even more un-American. He already has been, and we the people will only get more wrath.”

But despite his support for Harris and his harsh words toward Trump, Schwarzenegger said he doesn't agree with Democrats on everything.

“At the moment I don’t like any party. My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, running up deficits and rejecting election results. Democrats are no better at managing deficits, and I worry that their local policies could harm our cities with increased crime,” he wrote.

Still, he stated, “I want to move forward as a country, and while I have many disagreements with their platform, I think that is only possible with Harris and Walz.”

“Vote this week. Turn the page and leave this garbage behind. And even if you disagree with me, vote because that’s what we do as Americans,” he concluded.

Newsweek emailed the Trump and Harris campaigns seeking comment.

Schwarzenegger has repeatedly criticized Trump over the years. Their feud began in 2017 when Schwarzenegger replaced Trump as host of the reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice. The former president frequently mocked Schwarzenegger's ratings as the new host of the NBC series, leading to ongoing exchanges of insults.

In September 2019, Schwarzenegger told Men's Health magazine that the root of their animosity is that the president is “in love” with him.

“He's in love with me. That is the reality. With Trump he wants to be me,” Schwarzenegger said.

In June 2023, Schwarzenegger told CNN host Chris Wallace that he did not believe Trump could win a second term.

“You need the swing voters, you need the independents. So the question is: can he do it? I don’t think he can do it,” Schwarzenegger said.

Schwarzenegger is one of several Republicans who have endorsed Harris. Last month, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney expressed her support for the Democratic candidate.

“As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought about this deeply. And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only will I not vote for Donald Trump, but I will vote for Kamala Harris,” Cheney said at Duke University.

Days later, Cheney's father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, said he also planned to vote for Harris.

Former Republican President Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, a registered Republican, also recently endorsed Harris.

“She recognizes the goodness and greatness of our country,” Ford Bales said of Harris.

“I know she will defend the rule of law and our Constitution. And I know she will work to bring all Americans together to move us beyond partisanship.”

“This is what America deserves from our president.”

Barbara Pierce Bush, one of former Republican President George W. Bush's daughters, supported Harris in an interview with People this week. However, Barbara Pierce Bush does not identify with any political party.

Other Republicans, including the Republican mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin, the son of former presidential candidate and Sen. John McCain, former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci, have also endorsed Harris.

In September, more than 100 former Republican congressmen and national security officials from the Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, George W. Bush and Trump administrations signed a letter endorsing Harris.

Update 10/30/24, 12:23 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.