Arnold Schwarzenegger is making it clear that he has no intention of abandoning his Republican identity, even as comedian Jimmy Kimmel questions what the party represents in today's political climate. During his November 11 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the former California governor was asked whether he still considered himself a Republican. “Yeah, I'm a Republican, absolutely,” Schwarzenegger responded, explaining that his traditional Republican values are rooted in the party's historic role in ending slavery. He emphasized that Republicans helped secure citizenship and voting rights for formerly enslaved Americans, declaring, “This is the history. This is what I'm about.” Kimmel pushed back, suggesting that those historical values appeared inconsistent with the modern Republican Party, but Schwarzenegger refused to change his position. “Yeah, but it doesn't mean I have to change my philosophy,” he replied.

Schwarzenegger also pointed to former Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, crediting them with environmental initiatives that reflected the kind of bipartisan leadership he believes the country needs. He argued that Republicans and Democrats must work together rather than push legislation through along strict party lines, insisting that elected officials should serve the public instead of their political parties. His comments come amid renewed debate over the historical identities of America's two major political parties and their evolving positions on civil rights. While the Republican Party emerged in the 1850s as an anti-slavery party, the Democratic and Republican coalitions underwent major realignments over the following century, particularly during the civil rights era. That history makes it important to distinguish the parties' historical records from their present-day political platforms rather than treating either party as unchanged since the Civil War.