Schwarzenegger says Manchin 'stands out' as 2024 pick, while Trump, Biden take 'the air out of everything'
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said centrist lawmakers such as Sen. Joe Manchin, could stand out in the 2024 race for the White House, even as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are “taking the air out of everything” ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Asked on “Meet the Press” whether there’s a candidate who can “bring the type of leadership that’s needed right now,” Schwarzenegger said he believes candidates other than Biden and Trump aren’t given enough of a chance.
“Joe Manchin is one of them that I think stands out because he’s kind of like a center guy. He comes from an energy state, but he’s a Democrat, so he knows the challenges and all that,” he added, noting that there are “many others” who could focus on compromise.
Schwarzenegger accused the U.S. political system of being “set up in such a way right now that Trump is kind of like taking the air out of everything, and Biden is doing it on the other side. It kind of like comes down to both of them running really for president.”
Biden is set to be the Democratic 2024 nominee as the incumbent president, and Trump has long led the crowded field of Republican hopefuls in state and national polls.
The Austrian-born movie star can’t run for president, but he emphasized his focus on working with leaders on both sides of the aisle, calling on current officials to do the same.
“I have the ability of talking about issues without villainizing the other side because there’s people that think differently than I do," he said. "But they’re not evil. They’re not terrible people. They’re good people that mean well, so therefore I would say we have to be able to bring people together and let everyone know they are very important to be part of the team.
Asked whether he considered running for the Senate seat previously held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Schwarzenegger didn’t dodge the question, saying “running for any office is not even in the game” for his political future.