Arnold Schwarzenegger shared a chilling prediction on Monday following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator who was shot dead in Utah on September 10 while debating gun control laws in the US. The Terminator star shared an impassioned speech at the University of Southern California, calling for bipartisan unity and criticizing the discourse surrounding Charlie’s death. Arnold was the Governor of California from 2003 to 2011, and while he is a Republican, the actor has declared his dislike of Donald Trump on several occasions.
“I was very, very upset that someone’s life was taken because they have a different opinion. I mean, it’s just unbelievable,” he said during his speech. “It’s a human being, a human life is gone. And he was a great father, a great husband and I was thinking about his children. They will only be reading about him now, instead of him reading to them bedtime stories.”
Charlie is survived by his wife, Erika Kirk, and his two young children, who were present at the time of his death. He was allegedly killed by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a Utah resident who disagreed with the father of two’s conservative views and his stance against LGBTQIA+ rights in particular. “We have to acknowledge that the cause of all of this is the social media companies that are dividing us, the mainstream media companies that are dividing us, the political parties…that are dividing us,” Arnold declared.
“Each and every one of you in here can make a difference. You can show leadership. This is about leadership.” He added that people were “getting hit from so many different angles” and predicted that democracy could come to an end altogether. “We have to be very careful that we don’t get closer to the cliff. Because when you fall down that cliff, down there, there is no democracy,” the 78-year-old said.
“We have to be very, very careful. I think it is very important that we turn this around and that we show people power. Because the people can turn this around, the people have the ultimate power.” Arnold encouraged the audience to exercise their right to vote and to “make a difference”.
Arnold has never been quiet about his dislike of Donald Trump; in October 2024, just before the election, the former bodybuilder wrote a lengthy message on X endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris in the race rather than his own party. “I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians,” he began.
© Getty Images“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger.”
© MediaNews Group via Getty ImagesArnold established a political institute at USC in 2012, which, according to the website, is “committed to advancing post-partisanship, where leaders put people over political parties and work together to find the best ideas and solutions to benefit the people they serve.”
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