“An American before I am a Republican”

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Actor and former Republican governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in a lengthy post on X on Wednesday that he will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election.

Schwarzenegger began his endorsement by noting his distaste for politics. His time as governor, he said, taught him to “love politics and ignore it.”

“I don’t really do any advertising,” he said. “I’m not afraid to share my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.”

Schwarzenegger said both major political parties frustrated him during the election because neither was prepared to help the country succeed.

“To be honest, I don’t like any party right now,” he wrote. “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 through increased crime.”

A key element of the 2024 election that he couldn't overlook were former President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the election was stolen, the actor wrote. Such behavior, he said, “is as un-American as it gets.”

“I will always be an American before I am a Republican,” Schwarzenegger wrote. “That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz this week.”

“For decades we have been talking about comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border while fixing our broken immigration system,” he added. “And Washington is doing nothing.”

The actor claimed it was all a “game” for the politicians.

But it is the life of my fellow Americans. We should be mad!” he wrote.

Schwarzenegger concluded by calling on Americans to “close the door on this chapter of American history,” adding, “Trump will not do that.”

“I want to move forward as a country, and while I have many disagreements with their platform, I think this is only possible with Harris and Walz,” he wrote. “And even if you don’t agree with me, vote because that’s what we do as Americans.”

Schwarzenegger joins other big names supporting the Harris campaign, such as rapper Eminem and singer Bruce Springsteen. Her campaign also received the endorsement of the WNBA's Seattle Storm last week, which is extremely rare for a professional sports team.

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