‘An American before I’m a Republican’

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

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

“I don’t really do endorsements,” he said. “I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.”

Schwarzenegger explained that both major political parties have frustrated him during the election, as neither seems to help the country succeed.

“Let me be honest with you: I don’t like either party right now,” he wrote. “My fellow Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, run up deficits, and dismissed election results. Democrats are no better at dealing with deficits, and I worry that their local policies are hurting our cities with increased crime.”

A key element of the 2024 election he cannot overlook, the actor wrote, is former President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of a stolen election. 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 this week I’m voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”

“For decades, we’ve talked about comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border while fixing our broken immigration system,” he added. “And Washington does nothing.”

The actor claimed that it is all a “game” for politicians.

But that’s life for my fellow Americans. We should be mad!” he wrote.

Schwarzenegger concluded by urging Americans to “close the door on this chapter of American history,” adding “Trump won’t do that.”

“I want to move forward as a country, and while I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I believe the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz,” he wrote. “And even if you disagree with me, vote because that’s what we do as Americans.”

Schwarzenegger joins other big names backing the Harris campaign, such as rapper Eminem and singer Bruce Springsteen. Her campaign also received support from the WNBA’s Seattle Storm last week in an extremely rare move for a professional sports team.

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