Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is reportedly considering a 2018 run for Senate, and some have said the move would provide a platform for his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump.
Schwarzenegger has had a long career in the public eye, working first as a bodybuilder and then as an actor before deciding to run for political office in 2002. After his two terms as the Republican governor of California ended in 2011, he continued to act and began hosting “The New Celebrity Apprentice” when Donald Trump decided to run for president in 2015.
Although their relationship started out friendly, it soured after Trump made derogatory comments about Schwarzenegger's ratings on “The New Celebrity Apprentice.” At the National Day of Prayer breakfast, Trump used his speech to ask for prayer for Schwarzenegger and the show, and the two have been at odds ever since, according to the New York Post.
Schwarzenegger responded to the criticism by suggesting in a video posted to Twitter that the two switch jobs.
"You take over TV because you're such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job, so then people can finally sleep comfortably again," he said.
When Schwarzenegger decided to quit the show, blaming Trump for sponsor desertions and ratings problems, Trump tweeted that he was “fired by his bad ratings, not by me,” the Post said. A political campaign could take attention away from Trump and be a way to get back at him or be a thorn in his side, Fox News suggested.
A Republican strategist told Politico that a campaign for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat, possibly as an independent, "would give Arnold the stage to jam Trump for the next 16 months."
Key issues in the campaign could include climate change, political reform and immigration, Politico noted.
Twitter users shared their reactions to a possible Schwarzenegger Senate run.