President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Accord last week, a non-binding treaty to fight climate change that would have had little effect on the climate but much on the U.S. economy, has earned him praise from most people on the conservative side of the aisle. Likewise, it has rendered the Left apoplectic. As Aaron Bandler wrote in the Daily Wire last Thursday, the Left’s responses were outrageous across the board, as would have expected.
However, a surprising reaction came from former actor, bodybuilder and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who posted a video via ATTN, calling on people to “rise up” against Trump and the Paris decision.
Schwarzenegger stated:
“One man cannot destroy our progress, one man can’t stop our clean energy revolution, one man can’t go back in time… the people will rise up. Local and state governments will rise up… and fill the void you are creating. We need to do it ourselves.”
It is interesting to note that Schwarzenegger pushed the global warming agenda throughout his progressive tenure as California’s Republican governor, which proved to be an abysmal failure and ended with an approval rating in the mid-20s. The state was overly taxed; its budgets were blown, and little progress was made to show for it, as noted by Time. Schwarzenegger’s governorship essentially turned California into a one-party state, with the state even having a U.S. Senate election this past November between two Democrats.
This should have compelled Schwarzenegger to assess why his governorship failed, and why progressivism doesn’t work. But instead, he bashes Trump much of the time, and even endorsed fellow-RINO John Kasich to primary Trump in 2020. Schwarzenegger also volunteered to switch jobs with Trump, so “people can sleep better at night.”
However, many who were skeptical of voting for Trump sleep well witnessing the good things Trump has done as President. True, there have been some negatives, such as the rollout of his Obamacare repeal and his first budget, but not many people who voted for him regret Trump winning the presidency. In fact, in April, a Washington Post/ABC News poll calculated the results of a hypothetical rematch of the 2016 election. In the rematch, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the popular vote, 43-40, as well as the Electoral College, a feat he failed to achieve in November.
This also seems to imply that many people don’t believe that Trump will leave the country worse off when he leaves the presidency than when he came in.
But the same can’t be said for Schwarzenegger, and the proof is there; the odds of a Republican winning a national election in California are close to none. This is clearly, in part, due to his tenure as governor.
Trump made the correct decision as President of the United States, as he has a responsibility to his country and its people. Schwarzenegger had that same responsibility to the people of California as its governor, and he failed miserably.
Maybe Schwarzenegger should rethink his accusation of Trump destroying anything, and his own ideology and its flaws. And maybe if more people like him did some introspection, we could all sleep better at night.