Arnold Schwarzenegger was featured in an unexpected selfie earlier this week. In a photo shared on Robert F. Kennedy’s Instagram, Schwarzenegger smiles next to the current US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary for a workout at the iconic Gold’s Gym. While the moment prompted some confusion for their followers, their relationship dates back years.
The image shows Schwarzenegger and Kennedy smiling for a selfie in the gym, with their arms over each other’s shoulders. Both are wearing t-shirts and stand in the emblematic Gold’s Gym in the background, with weights and various gym goers appearing behind them.
“Senior’s Day at Gold’s in Venice,” Kennedy captioned the post.
While the two men have become notorious political figures on opposing ends, their relationship goes way back. Schwarzenegger married Maria Shriver, a prominent member of the Kennedy family, in 1986. Through their marriage, Schwarzenegger developed a close relationship with key figures in the Kennedy family, including RFK Jr. When Schwarzenegger got involved with politics, their relationship grew even stronger.
© Robert Kennedy Jr.Schwarzenegger addressed their relationship in a radio interview. “I don’t agree with everything policy-wise, but I like him as a human being. I mean, he’s fantastic. He was the one who sent me when I ran for governor— he was a Democrat, obviously. Now we don’t know what he is. He’s a mixture of Democrat and Republican, or maybe he’s more Republican, I don’t know,” he said in a chat with Andy Cohen on Radio Andy. Back when Schwarzenegger served as governor of California, Kennedy connected him with key people who helped him devise his administration’s climate policies.
“So when I ran as a Republican and a Democrat like Bobby Kennedy helps me, I said to myself that I should always be there for him. No matter if I believe in everything that he does or not, I will always support him,” continued Schwarzenegger. “We’ve worked out together and go to the gym and stuff like that, and I always was a big supporter of his.”
© AFP via Getty ImagesRFK’s relationship with Schwarzenegger
RFK Jr. has also opened up about his relationship with Schwarzenegger. In 2007, when Schwarzenegger was selected as one of TIME’s 100 figures, Kennedy wrote about Schwarzenegger’s positive effect on environmental policy.
“Schwarzenegger believes that good economic policy, over the long term, is always the same as good environmental policy,” RFK Jr. wrote.
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