Hollywood icon, former politician, and noted Republican – Arnold Schwarzenegger – has now commented on the shooting of right-wing activist and podcaster, Charlie Kirk. And his response could well leave some fans feeling a little divided.
Speaking at an event at the University of Southern California titled “A Democracy Day Dialogue,” the former California governor and action movie superstar said he was “shocked” upon hearing the news of Kirk’s death, which occurred on September 10, while the political activist and debater was on stage at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Taking a diplomatic approach in his response to the killing, Schwarzenegger called for unity at a time of concerning political violence, and said his thoughts were with Kirk’s wife and children. But it’s the actor’s description of Kirk as “a great advocate for the right — for Republican causes” that’s likely to divide fans, with the podcaster, author, and media personality having been such a deeply controversial figure throughout his career.
“I was very, very upset that someone’s life was taken because they have a different opinion. It’s just unbelievable. This was a great communicator, a great advocate for the right — for Republican causes. He had such a great way of communicating with the students that agreed or disagreed with him.
It’s a human being. A human life is gone,” Schwarzenegger said of Kirk. “And he was a great father, a great husband. I was thinking about his children. They will only be reading about him now, instead of him reading to them bedtime stories.”
Schwarzenegger, who has, of course, been a Hollywood icon for decades thanks to roles in the likes of The Terminator, Predator, The Expendables, and more, and who also served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011, addressed the students, detailing his fears about democracy and the threat of further violence following Charlie Kirk’s death.
“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: the Democrats that are dividing us, the Republicans that are dividing us. We’re getting hit from so many different angles, and we have to be very careful that we don’t get closer to that cliff. Because when you fall down that cliff — down there, there is no democracy.”
Advocating for open, constructive debate between all sides, Schwarzenegger, who has been anti-Donald Trump and MAGA and even encouraged fans to vote for Kamala Harris at the 2024 US presidential election, endeavored to end things on a positive note, stating: “The people can turn this around.”
Charlie Kirk’s death has resulted in an outpouring of tributes, celebrations, further threats of violence, and the firing of several prominent media figures, with fans and detractors continuing to debate and argue whether the right-wing activist was a master debater and “free speech champion” or simply a bigot who used Christianity and political debate as a Trojan horse for his deplorable views. The suspect behind the shooting, Taylor Robinson, has now been formally indicted for Kirk’s murder.
- Birthname
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Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
- Birthdate
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July 30, 1947
- Birthplace
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Thal, Styria, Austria
