Arnold Schwarzenegger Says Anti-Vaxxers and Anti-Maskers Are 'Schmucks'

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Trying to convince your friends and family to get vaccinated? Tell your loved ones Arnold Schwarzenegger considers them a “schmuck” unless they get their double dose. That should do the trick.

On Aug. 10, The Terminator star and former California governor chatted with Army veteran and former director for European Affairs at the National Security Council Alexander S. Vindman and CNN senior global affairs analyst Bianna Golodryga on the state of the pandemic and the necessity of following COVID-19 protections and protocols. The trio got together for a virtual panel discussing Vindman’s new book Here, Right Matters: An American Story.

Schwarzenegger used the topic of "rights" to launch into a passionate speech about the current social and political narrative around vaccines. In the virtual conversation, the tough-as-nails 73-year-old said he’s been disheartened by the current doubt over the efficacy of vaccines and the dismissal of other expert COVID-19 guidance.

"I think people should know there is a virus here. It kills people," Schwarzenegger said during the virtual panel. "And the only way we prevent it is we get vaccinated, we wear masks, we do social distancing, washing your hands all of the time, and not just to think about, ‘Well, my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’"

He continued, “No, screw your freedom. Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities. You cannot just say, ‘I have the right to do x, y, and z,’ when you affect other people. That is when it gets serious."

"Yeah, you have the freedom to wear no mask," he concluded, "but you know something? You’re a schmuck for not wearing a mask because you are supposed to protect fellow members around you. It’s just that simple.”

Schwarzenegger said that the public can’t let up on precautions and COVID-19 guidances now, especially with the possible severity of the Delta variant.

“Look, I am an expert on how to build a bicep…there’s no one who knows more about a bicep than I do because I studied this issue for 50 years,” the actor says. “And the same is also with the virus. There are people out there who are experts that study [viruses] year after year after year. Dr. [Anthony] Fauci [has studied viruses] for his entire life. Why would you not believe someone like that?”

Schwarzenegger got his vaccine back in January, sharing a video of his shot to Instagram—all while quoting The Terminator.

"Come with me if you want to live,” Schwarzenegger wrote in the video caption.

Back in June 2020, Schwarzenegger said those who make mask-wearing a political issue are “morons who can't read."

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