Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger will back Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming US election despite saying “I don’t like either party right now”.
The 77-year-old former Republican governor of California, who served from 2003 to 2011, said his party’s candidate, former US president Donald Trump, would “divide”, “insult”, and “find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been”.
Schwarzenegger said he would be voting for Ms Harris and her vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz as he wanted the US to “move forward as a country” despite having “plenty of disagreements with their platform”.
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
The actor said: “My time as governor taught me to love policy and ignore politics.
“I’m proud of the work I did to help clean up our air, create jobs, balance the budget, make the biggest infrastructure investment in state history, and take power from the politicians and give it back to the people when it comes to our redistricting process and our primaries in California.”
He continued: “Let me be honest with you, 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.
“It is probably not a surprise that I hate politics more than ever, which, if you are a normal person who isn’t addicted to this crap, you probably understand.
“I want to tune out. But I can’t. Because rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets.
“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.
“And I will always be an American before I am a Republican.
“That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
“I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do. You don’t recognise our country. And you are right to be furious.”
The Predator star said recent governments had “done nothing” on the national debt and “comprehensive immigration reform”.
He said politicians “benefit” from the country’s problems saying they “prefer having talking points to win elections to the public service that will make Americans’ lives better”.
The Austrian-born actor said Mr Trump, who is competing for his second term as US president “won’t respect your vote unless it is for him” and had “shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut”.
Schwarzenegger said Mr Trump thought “Americans who disagree with him are the bigger enemies than China, Russia or North Korea”.
He concluded: “It will just be four more years of bullshit with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided and more hateful.
“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former president Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger.
“That’s enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. 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.”
Friends star Jennifer Aniston also confirmed she has voted for Ms Harris on Wednesday, in an Instagram post saying she had done so to “end this era of fear, chaos and the attacks on our democracy”.
In the post, she said: “Today not only did I vote for access to health care, for reproductive freedom, for equal rights, for safe schools, and for a fair economy, but also for sanity and human decency.
“Please remember that whoever you are and wherever you live, your voice matters. Your vote matters.”
The US will go to the polls on November 5, with Schwarzenegger urging his fans to “vote this week” to “turn the page and put this junk behind us”.
