A look back at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2018 video after Donald Trump’s Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin, which left Trump with no praise at all.
Arnold Schwarzenegger sharply criticised Donald Trump after the summit with Putin in Helsinki. He said bluntly: “You stood there like a wet noodle, like a fanboy”. What is really behind this media storm?
Sharp criticism after the Helsinki summit
Schwarzenegger's emotional statement
After Donald Trump’s 2018 press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Schwarzenegger published a video in which he spared no criticism of the then President of the United States. He called Trump “a little wet noodle” and “a fanboy”, clearly expressing his disappointment.
A quote that went around the world
“You stood there like a little wet noodle, like a fanboy. I was wondering when you were going to ask Putin for an autograph or a selfie” — these words were directed at Donald Trump by the former governor of California.
Trump, Putin and American public opinion
Schwarzenegger pointed out that during the meeting Trump did not defend US interests and, instead of confronting Putin, appeared passive. His words became a symbol of broader criticism of US foreign policy and relations with Russia.
Although he had been a governor from the Republican Party himself, Schwarzenegger was not afraid to openly voice his opinions. He reproached Trump for a lack of firmness, comparing him to the strong speeches of Ronald Reagan, for example during the legendary speech at the Berlin Wall.
Amid the heat of the political turmoil, Schwarzenegger did not limit himself to a single statement. In the following years he regularly expressed his opposition to Trump’s policies and rhetoric, including after the Capitol riots in 2021, calling him “the worst president in history” and appealing for a renewal of American values.
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