‘Predator’ Star Arnold Schwarzenegger Won’t Leave the GOP, and His Reasoning Might Surprise You

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an action icon, an Austrian-born bodybuilder and a former governor of California, so it’s no surprise that his place in the Republican Party gets picked apart whenever he talks politics. He served as California’s last Republican governor from 2003 to 2011, and has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump since. That tension has followed him from late-night couches to cable talk shows.

The question is hardly new. Back in October 2023, Jimmy Kimmel asked him whether he still thought of himself as a Republican, and he answered that he was a proud one. In October 2025, he was pressed again on ‘Real Time’ and compared himself to Abraham Lincoln, even though he had endorsed Kamala Harris over Trump and JD Vance in the 2024 election.

So when Schwarzenegger sat down on the Nov. 11 episode of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ just after Democrats’ sweeping midterm victory, the setup was almost too perfect. Kimmel asked whether he is still a Republican, and Schwarzenegger told Kimmel, “Yeah, I’m a Republican, absolutely.” The host shot back with a question of his own: “What does that even mean anymore?”

Schwarzenegger’s answer went straight to the history books. He said a traditional Republican is someone who admires the party for having freed the slaves, and he added that the party also gave those freed people citizenship and the right to vote. Kimmel noted that Republicans don’t get credit for that anymore, and Schwarzenegger replied that this is simply the history and what he is about.

Kimmel pressed on, pointing out that all of this sounds like the opposite of what the party stands for now. Schwarzenegger didn’t blink, saying it doesn’t mean he has to change his philosophy.

Jimmy Kimmel: With that said, are you still a republican? Arnold Schwarzenegger: Yeah, I’m a republican. Absolutely. Jimmy Kimmel: What does that even mean? Arnold Schwarzenegger: A traditional republican is someone that admires the republican for having freeing the slaves. Jimmy Kimmel: We don’t take credit for that anymore, come on. Arnold Schwarzenegger: This is what I’m about. Giving those slaves citizenship, giving them a right to vote. Jimmy Kimmel: This sounds like all the opposite things the republican party stands for. Arnold Schwarzenegger: This doesn’t mean I have to change my philosophy, I have my philosophy. The Reagan philosophy who created the resources for California to regulate our own air and reduce the greenhouse gases and pollution in California. Nickson created the EPA, the environmental protection agency to protect our water. Those are the kinds of republicans that used to work together with the democrats to get things done.

— Jfash!🕷️ (@jfash_fi) November 12, 2026

To explain what he means, Schwarzenegger pointed to what he calls the Ronald Reagan philosophy. He credited Reagan with creating California’s Air Resources Board and Richard Nixon with creating the EPA, calling them the kind of Republicans who used to work with Democrats and get things done.

He framed the job as service over loyalty, saying you have to get together and accomplish things and be a public servant rather than a party servant. Kimmel couldn’t resist a joke, telling him he is probably the only one of those Republicans left. Schwarzenegger disagreed, saying he doesn’t think he’s the only one.

The two found some common ground along the way, with Kimmel guessing they agree on 85 percent of things. His evidence, naturally, was that they are both muscular and very fit.

The conversation also turned to the election itself. Schwarzenegger said some people call it a blue wave, but he calls it a tidal wave or a tsunami. He argued that after 2 years of Trump’s second term, the political landscape simply balances itself out, with power going back and forth.

He also said that neither party has delivered on immigration, the national debt or healthcare. On the Affordable Care Act, he called it a good attempt that had failed in some ways.

It fits a pattern of him breaking with party orthodoxy on the biggest fights of the cycle. In 2025, he denounced the nationwide push for redistricting as cheating and urged voters to reject Prop. 50, so he has hardly been a one-party critic.

Schwarzenegger also revisited his history with Trump, saying the two were good friends and talked several times before Trump’s first run for president. Trump asked him to endorse and campaign with him, but Schwarzenegger declined because of disagreements over issues like climate change and pollution. According to Schwarzenegger, Trump said he understood.

The visit wasn’t only about politics. Schwarzenegger was on the show to promote his new film, ‘The Man with the Bag,’ which arrives on Prime Video on Dec. 2 with him playing Santa Claus opposite Alan Ritchson and Awkwafina.

Amazon MGM Studios locked in that date at the Prime Video upfronts in May 2026. The holiday heist comedy, directed by Adam Shankman, kicks off when Santa’s red bag is stolen by a rogue elf with a grudge. It also marks Schwarzenegger’s first film since ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ and his return to Christmas movies 30 years after ‘Jingle All the Way’.

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