Revisiting Arnold's Words

On the third anniversary of the U.S. Capitol riot, Arnold Schwarzenegger's video urging Donald Trump's enablers not to go along `step-by-step down the road' still resonates.

Last night, barely 48 hours after getting the book, I finished reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.

Just in time, it turns out, for the third anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In his book, Schwarzenegger shares what was going through his mind and heart in the immediate aftermath of the riot.¹

Schwarzenegger decided to videotape a response to the events of that dark day. He drew parallels between the lies fueling the rise of Nazi Germany—including the complicity of those, like his father, who “just went along step-by-step down the road”—and the crucial role that President Donald Trump’s lies played in unleashing the horrors of January 6th.

A screen grab from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Jan. 10, 2021 videotaped message.

Schwarzenegger’s account in Be Useful brought me back to the first time I saw the video, on the day of its release, and how it kindled hope in me during an especially dark and tumultuous week in our nation’s history.

At the time, the notion that Trump would ever again be politically viable seemed preposterous. As Schwarzenegger himself declared, “President Trump is a failed leader. He will go down in history as the worst president ever. The good thing is he will soon be as irrelevant as an old tweet.”

It’s intriguing to consider how that particular snippet has aged. While I believe that Trump will be hard to topple from Presidential “worst ever” status², he has yet to fade into irrelevance.

Far from it, he’s overwhelmingly likely to become the Republican nominee for the third straight time, even as his longstanding pattern of corrupt and devious conduct has led to four pending criminal cases against him, totaling 91 felony counts.

Whatever the future holds, a major reason why Schwarzenegger’s forecast of Trump’s political demise has proven premature is what he said next, at the 7 1/2-minute clip’s three-minute mark: “What are we to make of those elected officials who have enabled his lies and his treachery?”

In a moment crying out for them to reverse course—indeed, when some like then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made initial remarks that suggested they would finally and fully repudiate Trump—they blinked and went on enabling his lies and treachery in a cynical “party over country” retreat.

Nearly 1,100 days later, here we are. In 10 months, we are likely to have a rematch of Trump versus President Joe Biden.

For those who are seeking a respite from national politics, The Inside Edge is usually a reliable refuge. I don’t plan to write much about the run-up to the election. But at the same time, being faithful to this column’s pledge to tackle “subjects across life’s spectrum” might mean the occasional politically oriented piece.

In closing, I recommend Be Useful.³ And if you’ve not yet seen Schwarzenegger’s message from three years ago—or, like me, simply want to refresh your recollection of it—I endorse that, too.

1. Where were you on that day? I was hiking with my family in Boulder, Colorado, blissfully unaware of the tragic, ugly events unfolding in Washington, D.C.

2. God help us if we ever elect someone with less integrity than Trump. I’ve written several pieces reflecting my disdain for him, including Trump’s Shameful Legacy of Lies.

3. By the way, here are those seven tools for life in Be Useful—some are more self-explanatory than others: have a clear vision; never think small; work your ass off; sell, sell, sell; shift gears; shut your mouth, open your mind; break your mirrors.