EXCLUSIVE: Arnold Schwarzenegger 'Desperate' to Run for President to 'Restore America' as Trump 'Bulldozes Democracy'
Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to bring down President Trump.
Sept. 19 2025, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Arnold Schwarzenegger is privately exploring ways to run for the U.S. presidency, despite constitutional barriers, in what allies say is a desperate attempt to stop Donald Trump and "restore democracy," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 78-year-old Terminator star and former Republican governor of California has become increasingly vocal about his fears for America's future following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, in Utah.
President Schwarzenegger?
Schwarzenegger is said to be looking for a way to run for president.
Friends of the actor claimed the murder has sharpened Schwarzenegger's determination to confront political violence and the deep divisions tearing the country apart – divisions he blames on both parties, the media, and Trump himself.
Speaking at the University of Southern California, Schwarzenegger warned: "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. We have to be very, very careful. I think it's 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."
One longtime Republican strategist claimed: "Arnold has been telling people close to him that he can't just sit back and watch Trump bulldoze democracy. He knows the Constitution bars him from running for the presidency, but he's desperate to find a path – whether that's lobbying for reform or using his star power to rally voters against Trump."
Schwarzenegger has described Kirk's death as "unbelievable" and a chilling sign of how far the nation has fallen.
The action star is sick of President Trump 'bulldoze democracy,' sources claimed.
"I was very, very upset that someone's life has was taken because they have a different opinion," he said. "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 who agreed or disagreed with him.
"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."
The gunman suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder. Schwarzenegger linked the killing to toxic divisions fueled online and in politics.
Trump Fails To Unite Country
Schwarzenegger noted both the democrats and republicans are dividing the country.
"We have to acknowledge that the cause of all 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," he added.
"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."
Trump, 79, dismissed concerns about rising tensions across the nation in the wake of Kirk's execution, saying on Fox and Friends: "I tell you something that is going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right are radical because they don't want to see crime.
"The radicals on the left are the problem – and they are vicious and horrible and politically savvy. They want men in women's sports, they want transgender for everyone, they want open borders – the worst thing that happened to this country."
Would Schwarzenegger Win?
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The movie star thinks he would win a election if he was allowed to run.
Austrian native Schwarzenegger, who previously told CNN's Chris Wallace in 2023 he could "so clearly" win the presidency if allowed to run, remains blocked by the Constitution's natural-born citizen clause. But advisers insist this has not stopped him from floating the idea.
A former aide claimed: "He feels uniquely qualified to bring Americans together at a time when it's all about who you vote against rather than who you vote for. "He's been telling people, 'If I can't run, then maybe I can at least inspire someone else who can beat Trump.'"
Though he insists he is "not worried" about Trump ultimately prevailing, Schwarzenegger has been clear about the stakes.
He added to Wallace: "Look, it's a no-brainer. I see so clearly how I could win that election."
