Arnold Schwarzenegger warned on Monday that the United States risked slipping into a condition in which there was "no democracy" if political polarization and violence continue to escalate, remarks delivered amid the national debate following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Speaking at the University of Southern California, the 78-year-old actor and former California governor called on Americans to exercise their right to vote and to steer the country away from ideological extremes that, he said, could push the nation "closer to the cliff." "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," he told the audience.
Schwarzenegger’s comments came after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah. Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty; Utah statutes permit execution by firing squad. The FBI has said Robinson held a "leftist ideology" and may have been radicalized online, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said people who knew Robinson reported that his politics shifted left in recent years.
The killing has intensified partisan recriminations. Former President Donald Trump and his allies have blamed elements of the left for a rise in political violence, with Trump telling Fox & Friends that "the radicals on the left are the problem" and characterizing them as "vicious and horrible and politically savvy." In an interview with CBS News, Trump acknowledged that political violence is not one-sided but reiterated his criticism of left-leaning groups and said he would consider designating the anti-fascist movement known as Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization if he received backing from his cabinet and the Justice Department.
The debate over responsibility and response to political violence is unfolding alongside broader disputes about federal intervention in cities and street-level unrest. The president earlier ordered the National Guard to California after protests over federal immigration operations and moved to place the Washington, D.C., police force under federal control. He has also pointed to Chicago and Baltimore as potential targets for similar deployments, a plan that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called an "occupation" and an erosion of constitutional protections.
Schwarzenegger, who served as California governor from 2003 to 2011 and has been a frequent critic of Trump, also used his USC appearance to enter the debate over a state ballot measure, Proposition 50. The initiative, backed by Democrats, would temporarily override congressional maps drawn by an independent commission and replace them with districts drafted by the state’s Legislature. Schwarzenegger said the proposal would "take the power away from the people" by sidelining a public redistricting process he had championed as governor and warned against responding to political opponents by adopting their tactics. "Two wrongs don't make a right," he said.
The assassination and the political aftermath have highlighted deepening partisan animosity. A Wall Street Journal survey in July found more than 80% of Democrats and more than 80% of Republicans held not only an unfavorable view of the opposing party but a "very unfavorable" view — a marked increase from 2020, when about half of Republicans and four in 10 Democrats reported similarly negative views.
Federal authorities have said Robinson has not cooperated with investigators, but they have interviewed family members and friends as part of the inquiry. FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News that when Robinson was asked why he killed Kirk, he said: "Some hatred cannot be negotiated with." The presence of online radicalization in the investigation echoes law enforcement concerns in other politically motivated attacks.
Schwarzenegger urged Americans to resist extremes on both sides and to use voting as the primary tool for change. His remarks reflected a wider conversation among political figures and the public about how to respond to violence and whether partisan strategies that sacrifice institutional safeguards are justified by short-term political gains. He stressed the importance of preserving democratic norms and warned that abandoning them would imperil the country’s political system.
As prosecutors prepare a capital case in Utah and political leaders exchange accusations, the nation faces competing pressures: addressing political violence and online radicalization while preserving the democratic processes that Schwarzenegger and others say are essential to preventing further erosion of democratic norms.