Arnold Schwarzenegger said on a Wednesday late-night broadcast that he remains “absolutely” a member of the Republican Party despite his sharp disagreements with its current leadership.
Appearing on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on November 11 to promote his film The Man with the Bag, the 79-year-old actor and former California governor defended his long-standing party affiliation against a skeptical host. When asked by host Jimmy Kimmel what the party label means today, Schwarzenegger traced his views back to the nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century.
A traditional Republican is someone that admires the Republican Party for having freed the slaves.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Host Jimmy Kimmel interjected that Republicans do not receive credit for that history anymore, prompting Schwarzenegger to insist that giving those individuals citizenship and voting rights remains central to his political identity. He added that he follows the Ronald Reagan philosophy, saying that past Republican leaders fought for environmental protections now more commonly associated with Democrats.
Schwarzenegger pointed to specific administrative actions from Republican administrations to validate his brand of conservatism.
So those are the kind of Republicans that used to go and work together with the Democrats and got things done. This is the kind of Republican that I am.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
When Kimmel suggested that such figures have vanished from modern politics, telling him he thinks he is the only one left, Schwarzenegger pushed back by saying he does not believe he is the sole remaining member of that political breed. He said that elected officials should function as public servants rather than party servants.
Addressing the recent midterm elections, Schwarzenegger characterized the Democratic victories as a tidal wave or tsunami rather than a simple wave, saying that power consistently moves back and forth between the two major parties.
The conversation also touched on Schwarzenegger’s relationship with Donald Trump.
Schwarzenegger declined the endorsement due to fundamental disagreements over pollution and climate change, saying that Trump understood his refusal.
