Arnold Schwarzenegger warned Monday that the United States risks losing its democratic institutions as partisan anger and political violence have intensified following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Speaking at the University of Southern California, the 78-year-old actor and former California governor said the nation was edging toward a “cliff” and urged Americans to use their votes to reverse the trend. “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,” he said. Schwarzenegger also urged voters to reject a California ballot measure he said would undermine independent mapmaking and transfer power to partisan politicians.
The comments came in the days after Charlie Kirk, a conservative influencer, was fatally shot in Orem, Utah. Prosecutors have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice; authorities said they will seek the death penalty, a sentence that in Utah could include execution by firing squad. The FBI has described Robinson as holding a “leftist ideology” and said he may have been radicalized online. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said acquaintances of Robinson told investigators his politics shifted left in recent years and that he spent significant time in the “dark corners of the internet.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, speaking on Fox News, quoted Robinson as saying when asked why he would kill the conservative influencer: “Some hatred cannot be negotiated with.” Authorities say Robinson has not been cooperating with investigators, though family and friends have spoken to law enforcement.
The assassination has sharpened ideological rhetoric from political leaders and intensified debate about responsibility for political violence. Former President Donald Trump blamed elements of the left in interviews and said on Fox News that “the radicals on the left are the problem — and they are vicious and horrible and politically savvy.” In an interview with CBS News, Trump acknowledged that violence in the United States is not limited to one side but again singled out the left for criticism and said he was considering labeling Antifa a domestic terrorist organization if he secured support from his cabinet and the Justice Department.
Trump has also escalated federal interventions in recent months, ordering the National Guard into California after anti-ICE protests and announcing a federal takeover of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. He said those actions could serve as a model for other cities he described as “hellholes” and signaled an intent to deploy troops or National Guard forces to Chicago and Baltimore if state leaders did not request or accept federal help. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the proposal “authoritarianism” and said city leaders would defend the Constitution.
Polarization surveys show widening hostile views between the parties. A Wall Street Journal survey in July found that more than 80% of Democrats and more than 80% of Republicans held “very unfavorable” views of the opposing party, a sharp increase from similar measures taken in 2020.
Schwarzenegger, a longtime Trump critic, framed his remarks about the Kirk killing within broader concerns about the erosion of democratic norms. He urged rejection of Proposition 50, a Democratic-backed initiative in California that would temporarily set aside congressional districts drawn by an independent state commission and replace them with maps drawn by Democrats. Schwarzenegger said the measure would “take the power away from the people” and warned that responding to perceived political threats by adopting the tactics of opponents would further damage democratic institutions.
The assassination and its aftermath have also touched off accusations and counteraccusations online and at rallies, and officials in multiple jurisdictions have been working to determine the suspect’s motive and any potential networks. Prosecutors in Utah prepared to file capital murder charges, and federal and local investigators said the probe remained active.
In his USC remarks, Schwarzenegger repeatedly called on ordinary Americans to act, saying people have “the ultimate power” through the ballot box. His warning and the broader political turmoil underscore the risks political leaders and analysts say accompany heightened partisan hostility as officials pursue legal and policy options in response to violence and civil unrest.