By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Action movie star and former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger threw his support on Wednesday behind Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for U.S. president, saying "I will always be an American before I am a Republican."
The "Terminator" star said he was offended by Republicans who refused to concede that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and the Republican nominee's remark that America was "like a garbage can for the rest of the world."
As governor, Schwarzenegger said, he learned to "love policy and hate politics" and added "I hate politics more than ever."
He also said "I don't like either party right now," arguing that neither would tackle U.S. budget deficits, and that some Democrats' policies were leading to increased crime.
"I want to tune out," Schwarzenegger wrote. "But I can't."
"Because rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets." Calling America "a trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious," he added.
"And I will always be an American before I am a Republican," Schwarzenegger said. "That's why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."
Trump made the "garbage can" comment when criticizing the Biden/Harris administration's handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, saying enforcement was so lax that other countries could "dump people they don't want" in the United States.
Schwarzenegger immigrated to the U.S. from Austria and built a successful body building career before starring in 1980s movie mega-hits such as "Conan the Barbarian," "The Terminator" and "Predator." He served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
The actor is one of several Hollywood stars who have endorsed Harris.