Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Donald Trump have a lot in common.
However, both Republican stalwarts did not see eye to eye on who should run the country.
Schwarzenegger, 79, left his mark on the worlds of entertainment and politics. In some ways, the Austrian-American served as a template for Trump, 80, to rise from television personality to federal officeholder.
Back in 2003, Schwarzenegger won the California recall election to become the 38th governor of the state. His emergence as a successful Republican politician followed a three-decade career as a movie industry A-lister.
Similarly, Trump turned his hosting gig on NBC’s “The Apprentice” reality show into leadership of the conservative MAGA movement, which led to the billionaire winning the White House in 2016 and 2024.
Both Schwarzenegger and Trump ran as GOP candidates in their respective races, but their different political agendas created a divide. That difference of opinions prevented the two power players from aligning.
“When he ran for the first time, for the presidency, in 2016, we talked to each other several times, and because we had a good relationship, we were very good friends,” Schwarzenegger said on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show.
Schwarzenegger went on to discuss how Trump asked for his endorsement in the 2016 race.
According to the action movie icon, issues such as climate change and pollution prevented him from siding with MAGA at that time.
“I said, ‘I know. I’ve worked on that issue for so many years. Pollution kills seven million people, and you want to ignore that?’ I said, ‘Are you crazy?’ I said, ‘So, I cannot do that. I cannot go with you because of that issue alone,’” Schwarzenegger recalled about speaking to Trump.
The seven-time Mr. Olympia added, “He understood, and I understood that he thought differently. I respect that fully, so he went off, and he did his thing.” Schwarzenegger did not blatantly slam the increasingly unpopular POTUS.
Even though Arnold refused to publicly support Trump in his bid for the presidency, “The Terminator” actor still identifies as a Republican. That party affiliation did not stop him from voting for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024.
The seeming frenemy relationship between Trump and Schwarzenegger dates back years. They have known each other since at least the 2004 Republican National Convention.
Trump later donated $10,000 to Schwarzenegger’s 2007 re-election bid for California governor.
The five-figure contribution was reportedly allocated to help pay off campaign debts.
“The Governator” made a guest appearance on a March 2007 episode of Trump’s “The Apprentice: Los Angeles.” That cameo unexpectedly became a precursor to the franchise’s future direction.
Trump announced his presidential campaign in June 2015 with a divisive speech critics claimed disparaged Mexican immigrants. That same month, NBC announced it would end ties with the businessman due to the statements.
In 2016, Schwarzenegger announced he would not vote for the Republican nominee for the first time since becoming an American citizen.
To the shock of many Beltway pundits, Trump won that election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Trump and Schwarzenegger essentially switched roles in the mid-2010s. “The Art of the Deal” author became a governmental chief executive, while the Gold Globe Award winner took over his TV gig.
NBC tapped Schwarzenegger to host “The New Celebrity Apprentice” in 2017. Trump used his speech at that year’s National Prayer Breakfast to mock the show’s television ratings with Schwarzenegger at the helm.
“They hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place, and we know how that turned out,” Trump said at the annual Christian gathering. “The ratings went right down the tubes. It’s been a total disaster.”
Schwarzenegger fired back in a selfie video. He said, “Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why don’t we switch jobs? You take over TV, because you’re such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job. And then people can finally sleep comfortably again.”
Trump delivered another shot in the rivalry when Schwarzenegger’s version of “The Apprentice” ended after just 13 episodes.
Schwarzenegger blamed “baggage” tied to the polarizing president for leaving the show.
However, Trump pushed an alternative narrative. The ever-petty real estate mogul tweeted that his replacement was “fired” for “pathetic” ratings. He closed out his social media jab by writing, “Sad end to great show.”
The feud continued. Schwarzenegger blasted Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol. A mob of MAGA supporters tried to block the presidential transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden in a chaotic scene that left several people deceased.
Schwarzenegger accused Trump of fomenting a “coup” and called the GOP standard-bearer a “failed leader” in a video shared online.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient also declared that Trump will “go down in history as the worst president ever.”
