In a stunning moment on The View, Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a masterclass in patriotism and common sense, leaving Joy Behar and the liberal media scrambling after their attempt to bait him into attacking President Trump and ICE backfired spectacularly. Instead of falling for the left’s divisive rhetoric, Schwarzenegger—a self-made immigrant success story—chose to celebrate America’s greatness, the rule of law, and the importance of giving back to the country that gave him everything.
When Behar, a known Trump antagonist, tried to provoke Schwarzenegger by asking, “Did you have a visceral reaction to what ICE is doing when you see the videos of it?” she clearly expected him to join the left’s hysterical condemnation of immigration enforcement. But Schwarzenegger, defying the liberal media’s narrative, responded with a stirring defense of America and its laws.
“I am so proud and happy that I was embraced by the American people like that, I came over here at the age of 21 with absolutely nothing,” Schwarzenegger said. “And then to create a career like that. In no other country in the world could you do that.” He went on to credit America for making his achievements—from bodybuilding to Hollywood to the California governorship—possible, calling it “the greatest country in the world” and “the land of opportunity.”
But Schwarzenegger didn’t stop there. In a direct rebuke to the left’s open-border agenda, he emphasized the importance of legal immigration and respect for the law. “You gotta do things legally, and those people that are doing illegal things in America, and they’re the foreigners, they are not smart,” he declared. “Because when you come to America, you’re a guest and you have to behave like a guest.”
Drawing a brilliant analogy, Schwarzenegger added, “Like when I go to someone’s house and I’m a guest, then I will do everything I can to keep things clean, and to make my bed, and to do everything that is the right thing to do rather than committing a crime or being abusive or something like that.” This was a clear indictment of the lawless chaos encouraged by progressive politicians and their media allies.
Perhaps most powerfully, Schwarzenegger stressed that immigrants have a duty to give back to America—a concept the left routinely ignores in its push for entitlement-driven policies. “So I think the important thing is when you become an immigrant to think about, okay, ‘I come to America because I want to use America for the great opportunities that America has,’” he said. “Then you have to think about, okay, if I get all of those things from America, then I have to give something back.”
🚨 Instead of making @JoyVBehar happy by ranting about ICE raids, Arnold Schwarzenegger reminds @TheView of what an amazing country the USA is.
BEHAR: Did you have a visceral reaction to what ICE is doing when you see the videos of [ICE raids]?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I am so proud… pic.twitter.com/y5HwVRORz1
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) June 17, 2025
Schwarzenegger’s words were a direct endorsement of the principles President Trump has championed: enforcing immigration laws, prioritizing legal immigration, and demanding that newcomers contribute rather than exploit the system. While the left paints Trump as anti-immigrant, Schwarzenegger—an immigrant icon—proved that supporting strong borders and the rule of law isn’t about hatred; it’s about love for America and respect for those who follow the rules.
Meanwhile, the liberal media continues to push a dangerous narrative that demonizes ICE and glorifies lawlessness. Behar’s question was just another attempt to fuel the left’s manufactured outrage over Trump’s efforts to restore order. But Schwarzenegger’s response exposed the hypocrisy of the elite left, who virtue-signal about “compassion” while ignoring the harm caused by unchecked illegal immigration.