Do we like Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Our score: 6 out of 10. Real good on climate and charity and a decent record on harm, set against accusations from multiple women that he has since apologised for.
The big stain is from the 2003 recall campaign, when multiple women accused him of groping and humiliating them. He denied it at the time, and his campaign framed it as part of a heated political fight. No criminal charges followed. In 2018 he told Men's Health: “Looking back, I stepped over the line several times.”
On the planet he has been consistent for years. California's AB 32 climate law came in on his watch, and in 2018 he called Trump's climate-accord withdrawal “meshugge” and told UN delegates “America is more than just Washington or one leader.” I found no pattern of work with people who push harm, though I didn't dig into every project.
His latest political stoush was Prop 50, the Democrat-backed congressional redistricting measure. In September 2025 he urged Californians to reject it, saying it would take power from voters and calling it “insane”. Newsom's side said it was a response to what was happening in other states, so where you land depends on whether you see it as fair play or as a power grab.
The good stuff is real. His Westime charity night for After-School All-Stars hit a record $9.75 million this October, and in 2020 he funded grants to reopen polling places. In 2023 he said “Love is always stronger than hate” while speaking out against antisemitism.
So the verdict: harm is a pass with an asterisk for that one veto, and the good-person test is mixed because of the old accusations and the years it took him to own them. He has stayed on the right side of the big fights since, so we'd back him, with eyes open.