Arnold Schwarzenegger marches to the beat of his own drum.
In a new interview with the New York Times, the actor and former governor of California discussed today’s political climate.
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“I operate with a European mind, and I also operate with an American mind. That’s why no one can figure me out,” Schwarzenegger said of his own personal politics. “It has nothing to do with ‘Republican versus Democrat.’ I never paid attention to any of this political stuff, period, because I think that both are full of crap.”
Talking about the political turmoil in America today, he added, “When I came over to America in 1968, there was the attack on the Democratic convention in Chicago. Here was the burning, there was the beating with clubs, white, Black, it made no difference what race you were. And then there was also the continuous bombing of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and people dying. And then comes the Watergate break-in. And then Jimmy Carter was elected. And America was, like, ‘Whew!’ It was like Biden now: ‘Thank God there’s someone sane in the White House now. Maybe we don’t agree with him, but at least he’s sane.’ What I’m saying is, we have seen wild times before. This is one of those wild times that we just have to get through.”
Schwarzenegger also shared his thoughts on Donald Trump and his relationship with the former U.S. president.
“Donald was an old friend. He was one of the first ones to come and support me when I ran for governor. But I didn’t accept his money because he was with the gaming industry, and we didn’t accept any gaming money. And I did not endorse him or help him with his campaign because of his environmental stands,” he said. “When I heard his speeches about bringing back coal and fossil fuels, I said, ‘This is like bringing back Blockbuster.’ It’s going backward. He understood. I said, ‘What you should do is copy California.’ He didn’t say no — then.”
Talking about the polarization of the ongoing pandemic, Schwarzenegger said, “Wearing a mask and washing your hands and all that stuff has become a political issue. Because I guess Republicans don’t wear masks and don’t wash their hands — and don’t get coronavirus, apparently. Apparently, the virus will know exactly who is a Democrat. [Rolls eyes.] So I suggested that we should do a P.S.A. and have all the governors involved. If the rest of the country is stupid enough to think this is a political issue, so be it.”
Looking back on his time as the governor, Schwarzenegger is also open to admitting mistakes he may have made.
“I feel like, you just come clean. I think that the whole idea of a coverup of some sort doesn’t work,” he explained. “I think you have to have the guts to brag when you’re good and you’ve got to have also the guts to go and say, ‘That was terrible. What a bad mistake. How stupid was I?’”
