Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) said he is looking for “someone fresh” in the 2024 presidential race and isn’t confident in either former President Trump or President Biden.
“I’m a big believer in new blood and a new generation,” Schwarzenegger told Axios in an interview published Friday. “But if that’s what it needs, if that’s what this country needs, to have that kind of a showdown again and to finally find out, you know, that Biden is, you know, the legitimate president, then so be it.”
The actor, known for his role in “The Terminator” movies and as a bodybuilder, said he thinks “we need to find new leaders,” because both Biden and Trump are flawed.
“We don’t know where Trump is going to be, legally. We don’t know what’s going to happen with Biden, if he really is going to stay in,” Schwarzenegger said. “We don’t know if there’s not a third candidate coming. So I think all of this is premature, to talk about poll numbers, to talk about any of this stuff.”
He said he is open to “someone fresh” coming in and someone new kind of taking over.” He previously said he would make a great president, but he can’t legally run for president; the 72-year-old actor-turned-politician was born in Austria, where he lived until he was 19. A registered Republican, Schwarzenegger served as the 38th governor of California from 2003-11.
The former governor reminisced about the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan in a recent interview with Politico. He suggested Americans yearn for an optimistic candidate that would bring them together.
He also criticized the media for its coverage of Trump and Biden, saying it’s difficult for any other candidate or a fresh face to enter a race when coverage is centered around the two leading candidates.
“When Biden holds a press conference, everyone covers it. And when Trump does something … even when he sneezes, they cover it,” he told Politico. “The headlines are all-Biden, or all-Trump, so there’s no room for any of those other guys to get in. How do you build a name?”
Although polls have shows voters concerned about Biden’s age and Trump’s legal issues, they are the leading two candidates in the race for the 2024 presidential election. Schwarzenegger dismissed the polls and reaffirmed his previous statements that someone new is needed.
“People are looking for new blood. They look for something new and with power because the problems are so complex, and they’re so big, that you need someone who has that energy,” he said.