Arnold Schwarzenegger has seen a spike in followers on X, formerly Twitter, the day after he endorsed Kamala Harris.
On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger posted a lengthy comment saying he “hates politics” now, but has come out publicly to endorse Harris and Walz because “I will always be an American before I am a Republican.”
The post has been viewed over 26 million times, and liked over 400,000 times. It also received critical comments from many high-profile conservative accounts, including Andrew Tate and Libs of Tiktok.
According to social-media analytics tracker SocialBlade, Schwarzenegger lost 537 followers on X that day, in keeping with a general pattern over the past two weeks of losing a few hundred followers most days. However, so far on Thursday he has gained over 18,623 — a fluctuation far higher than his account has seen in days prior. His total following is 5.2 million.
Schwarzenegger posted a screenshot of his post on X on Instagram Stories, but did not create a permanent post on the platform about the election. His following on Instagram has dropped by around 500 so far on Thursday, which is typical for his account according to SocialBlade data going back to October 19. He has a total following of 26.3 on Instagram.
The American-Austrian celebrity was an actor before becoming the Republican governor of California between 2003 and 2011.
In his X post, Schwarzenegger said that he does not like either party. He said that Republicans have forgotten “the beauty of the free market,” and Democrats “aren’t any better at dealing with deficits.” However, he said he cannot vote for someone who “will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke” or someone who calls America a “trash can.”
He also said: “It will just be four more years of bulls*** with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful. We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that.”
He ended the endorsement post saying: “And even if you disagree with me, vote, because that’s what we do as Americans” and included a link to vote.org, a website for people to check their voter registration, their polling place, what is on their ballot, and to ask questions about how to vote.
Steven Chung, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told Newsweek: “Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks too highly of himself if he actually believes his endorsement will matter. He hasn’t been relevant in 15 years.”
I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.
I also understand that people want to hear from me because I am not just a celebrity, I am a former Republican Governor.
My time as Governor taught me to…
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) October 30, 2024
Schwarzenegger joins a list of high profile Republicans to speak out against Trump during this election cycle.
Mike Pence has spoken out against Trump specifically because of his actions on January 6, and General John Kelly has called his former boss a fascist.
Right: Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives for a ceremony to receive a honorary doctorate by the Hertie School, a university of governance, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. Left: Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. Schwarzenegger recieved a boost in followers after endorsing Harris online.
Right: Markus Schreiber, Left: Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
Harris has seen the endorsement of various celebrities in recent days, in particular following comedian Tony Hinchliffe’s calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” during a Trump rally. Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin, who are of Puerto Rican descent, all publicly endorsed Harris following the remarks.
Celebrities who have endorsed Donald Trump include Mel Gibson, Zachary Levi, Dr Phil, and Danica Patrick.
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