Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, has made a rare endorsement by announcing his support for Kamala Harris. The actor penned a detailed post on X, explaining his decision to back the Democrat candidate, despite his general reluctance to endorse politicians and his distrust of most of them. "I will always be an American before I am a Republican," Schwarzenegger wrote. "That's why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. I'm sharing this with all of you because I believe many of you share my feelings. You don't recognize our country anymore, and you have every right to be furious."
Schwarzenegger specifically targeted Donald Trump in his post, stating: "A candidate who won't respect your vote unless it's for him, who sends his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke, and who has shown no ability to pass any policy besides a tax cut that benefited his donors and other wealthy individuals like myself but did nothing for anyone else, is not the solution to our problems." He continued, "It will only lead to four more years of nonsense with no results, making us angrier, more divided, and more hateful. We need to close this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won't do that."
"I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have many disagreements with their platform, I believe the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz. Vote this week. Turn the page and leave this mess behind us," Schwarzenegger urged.
This is not the first time Schwarzenegger has publicly criticized Trump. Their feud dates back to Trump's first term when Schwarzenegger took over The Celebrity Apprentice, a show previously hosted by Trump. After Trump mocked the show's low ratings, Schwarzenegger responded, "Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why don't we switch jobs?" Following the January 6 insurrection, Schwarzenegger stated that Trump would "go down in history as the worst president ever."
In other endorsements, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bad Bunny have also backed Harris. Bad Bunny, the multi-award-winning Puerto Rican rapper, took offense to comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden, where Puerto Rico was referred to as "a floating island of garbage."
On the other side of the political spectrum, retired astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the last surviving member of NASA's Apollo 11 mission and the second person to walk on the moon, endorsed Trump this week. In a statement, Aldrin, 94, praised Trump's first term, saying, "Under President Trump's first term, America saw a revitalized interest in space." He added, "I have been enthused and excited by the great advancements in the private sector space economy, led by visionaries like Elon Musk. These are concrete accomplishments that align with my concerns and America's policy priorities." Aldrin concluded, "For me, for the future of our Nation, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe the nation is best served by voting for Donald J. Trump."
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