Arnold Schwarzenegger has accomplished a lot in his life — but still wishes he could be president.
The native Austrian is ineligible to run for that particular office, but reflected on this seeming résumé gap Thursday with Howard Stern. Schwarzenegger, 76, told the renowned radio host that he definitely still has “the energy” for the job — but legally isn’t allowed to.
When told he’d win that hypothetical election, the former California governor perked up.
“You’re absolutely right, because so many people come up to me and go, ‘Oh, I wish you could be our president’ or something like that,” he told Stern. “So then of course you think about it, but I mean, I do my things — I do my books, I try to make life better for people.”
He continued: “I like to kind of improve the environment situation, to make people come together — Democrats and Republicans — and to fight pollution…worldwide and to protect democracy, to make sure that people have the right to vote everywhere.”
Schwarzenegger has famously criticized former President Donald Trump throughout his entire term of office. The “Terminator” star previously called Trump “the worst president ever” and told Stern on Thursday that he “would’ve made a great” one himself.
Schwarzenegger is currently promoting his new book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.”
“I just always see mountains in front of me to be climbed,” he told the radio host. “And so, as long as I see those mountains, I keep my enthusiasm and I keep my excitement and the fire in my belly to keep climbing and climbing and climbing.”
Arthur Mola/Invision/Associated Press
Schwarzenegger has certainly proven as much throughout his entire life. He not only won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles in bodybuilding in his 20s, but curated an iconic action star filmography in his 30s and 40s — and was elected governor of California at 56 in 2003.
When asked if it was frustrating to be ineligible for the presidency, however, he explained: “It really wasn’t, because I felt like everything I’ve accomplished in my life…all this stuff, the millions of dollars I made and everything — it’s all because of America.”
“So why would I complain about the one thing I can’t do?” he continued.
Not everyone would be as enthusiastic about a President Schwarzenegger as Stern, however, likely including portions of the “Governator’s” former Republican base. He had a blunt message in 2021 for people against COVID-19 vaccines and mask mandates: “Screw your freedom.”
The actor later apologized on Twitter, now X, “for saying those words” and is currently more focused on the environment. Schwarzenegger recently made climate change his “crusade” and told CBS’s “Sunday Morning” he’s “on a mission to go and reduce greenhouse gases worldwide.”