The actor crusaded against climate change, which Trump has called a hoax. Ballot initiatives are not an option for Trump.
But both won election promising they could use their business acumen, media savvy and star power to tackle intractable societal problems.
And in Schwarzenegger’s case, the lack of control of the Legislature was offset by popularity ratings that eclipse Trump’s. The temptation to wager big was as irresistible for the former California governor as it now may be for Trump.
But Schwarzenegger’s stagecraft, his snubs of protocol, his forceful personality that persuaded voters not to settle, all signature Trump tools, diminished every day of his administration. “
One moment made clear that Schwarzenegger had lost the crowd. Before a scrum of reporters, he climbed up to a giant spigot gushing with red liquid, announced he would be stopping the flow of red ink in Sacramento, and turned the valve shut. But unlike earlier, similar stunts, this one flopped. Voters were tired of the shtick.
Schwarzenegger’s collaborations with Democrats from that point on are well-known. He championed the state’s landmark climate change policy and leveraged an uptick in the economy for a wildly popular infrastructure package that helped secure his reelection.