Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he believes it’s a “no-brainer” he could win the presidency in 2024 — if he were able to run for election.
Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria and served as the Golden State’s governor from 2003 to 2011, made the comments during a recent sit-down interview on Max and CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”
“The Constitution says that the President has to be a natural born U.S. citizen. If not for that, would you have run for president?” Wallace asked Schwarzenegger.
“Well, yes, of course,” Schwarzenegger said in response. “I mean, I think the field was wide open in 2016. And I think the field is open right now. I mean, think about it right now. I mean, who is there? There is really not a person that can bring everyone together. Who is here today that people say okay, he’s not too old, or he’s not too this or too that, or is that because it’s now a question about who do you vote against then who do you vote for?”
“I mean, it’s like me and California,” he added. “And when that was, you know, running for governor, it was clear that people are looking for some new answer, not a right wing or left wing, but someone that can bring the nation together and doesn’t see the other party as the enemy.… There’s just so many things that need to be done. And can be done. And what makes it so wonderful is because it’s doable. It’s all doable, or at least it’s just people coming together and say yes, we can do it.”
Then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks during a swearing-in ceremony on November 17, 2003, in Sacramento, California, as now-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., looks on. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
If he were eligible to make a successful run for the White House, Schwarzenegger, now 75, would be the second former California governor to serve as president, following Ronald Reagan.
“But I mean, that’s just my thinking,” he continued. “I just don’t think that you get re-elected with 30 percent or 33 percent of the people voting for you in your polls.”
“I think those are great poll numbers amongst conservatives. But I think if you put it all together, it’s not enough,” he added.