In a rare and unscripted dose of common sense on The View, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned the liberal daytime talk show on its head when he refused to play into the hosts’ anti-ICE, open-borders narrative. What began as an attempt by Joy Behar and her co-hosts to extract virtue-signaling outrage from “The Governator” backfired spectacularly when the legal immigrant gave them a hard-hitting lesson in American gratitude, legal immigration, and personal responsibility.
Behar, seemingly forgetting that Schwarzenegger immigrated legally to the United States and spent decades working hard for his success, asked him if he had a “visceral reaction” to the ICE raids happening in California. She hoped, of course, to cue up another celebrity takedown of U.S. immigration enforcement. But Schwarzenegger didn’t bite.
Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t take the bait when The View’s Joy Behar asks him about the ICE raids in California:
“I’m so, so happy to see first-hand that this IS the greatest country in the world and it IS the land of opportunity…
…When you come to America, you’re a guest.… pic.twitter.com/4FKa47Q6KM
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 17, 2025
Instead, he doubled down on his love for America, proudly saying he came to the U.S. at age 21 “with absolutely nothing,” and went on to build a career in bodybuilding, acting, politics, and family life. “In no other country in the world could you do that,” he declared. “All this is because of America.” A tepid round of applause followed — not because his message wasn’t inspiring, but because it wasn’t what the audience came to hear.
Then came the real fireworks. Schwarzenegger, defying Hollywood talking points, emphasized the importance of legal immigration, saying, “You’ve got to do things legal.” He reminded the panel and the audience that when immigrants come to America, “you’re a guest, and you have to behave like a guest… you have a responsibility as an immigrant to give back to America.”
Smart man!
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) June 17, 2025
This simple yet powerful statement likely left much of The View’s audience squirming in their seats — especially those who’ve been fed a steady diet of “no human is illegal” sloganeering. It’s the kind of statement that doesn’t fit in well with the show’s typical tone but resonates with millions of everyday Americans across the country.
Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg quickly tried to course-correct, tossing out well-worn statistics about how “90 percent of immigrants are trying to do the right thing” and that “immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S. citizens.” But by then, Schwarzenegger had already reset the conversation, clearly defining the difference between legal immigrants like himself who contribute to the nation, and those who enter the country illegally expecting entitlements.
Behar tried to interrupt, and Hostin even placed a hand on Arnold’s arm as if to politely nudge him back into progressive territory — but he was undeterred. The truth had been spoken, and the facts weren’t on their side.
