Schwarzenegger says he would like to see Manchin run for president

Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) said Sunday that he would like to see Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) make a bid for the White House.

NBC’s Kristen Welker asked the former California governor on “Meet the Press” if there was any candidate in the 2024 presidential field that he feels could “bring the type of leadership that’s needed right now.” Schwarzenegger said that there is not enough room for other candidates besides former President Trump or President Biden to have a chance in the presidential race.

When asked who he thinks would stand out in the race, Schwarzenegger called out Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who has floated a potential bid for the presidency in the past.

“You know, I think, like, Joe Manchin is one of them that I think stands out because he is kind of like a center guy. He comes from an energy state, but he’s a Democrat. So he knows the challenges and all that. But he’s one of the guys that I think is really a great force,” he said.

He also said that there are others that could stand a chance, but he declined to offer up more examples.

“But there’s many others. In general, without endorsing anybody, I think we have to give people a chance to emerge,” Schwarzenegger said. “The political system is set up in such a way right now that Trump is kind of like taking the air out of everything, you know, and Biden is doing it on the other side. And so it kind of like comes down to both of them running really for president.”

Schwarzenegger also said that he would “love” to run for president if he could. However, he legally can’t run for president because he was born in Austria, where he lived until he was 19.

“I would love to run for president. I would love to have the opportunity to do that and to show America that we can come together, and to do the kind of things that Ronald Reagan did. But that’s not the case. [The] case is, the reality is that I can be helpful to help other people.”