California GOP Congressman Devin Nunes on Saturday night responded to former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger criticizing COVID-19 vaccination skeptics last week, with Nunes additionally calling the Republican Hollywood star a "disaster" during his time in office.
Nunes spoke with stand-in host Brian Kilmeade for Fox News' Watters' World on Saturday. He ridiculed the governorship of Schwarzenegger, who led California from 2003 to 2011. The congressman dismissed Schwarzenegger's outspoken support for vaccinations and ongoing efforts to curb COVID-19, which has led to over 4 million cases and more than 64,000 deaths in California as of Sunday, according to The New York Times.
In a video posted on Wednesday, Schwarzenegger said: "There is a virus here. It kills people, and the only way we prevent it is get vaccinated, get masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time and not just to think about, 'Well, my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.' No, screw your freedom."
He also said: "Yeah, you have the freedom to wear no mask, but you know something: You're a schmuck for not wearing a mask because you're supposed to protect your fellow members around you. It's just that simple."
During their conversation that aired on Watters' World Saturday, Kilmeade asked Nunes: "The people have answered and they're trying to recall governors and the scrutiny on the New York governor [Andrew Cuomo] got him ousted. Where does toying with American freedoms end and when does it ever expire? Do you believe that the mandates and lockdowns will be coming this fall?"
"I'm glad [Schwarzenegger] is gone, he was a disaster as a governor, unfortunately led to the demise of the Republican Party here in California," Nunes said Saturday.
Nunes initially responded by blaming some of California's more high-profile Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Governor Gavin Newsom, for the ongoing restrictions and demands to shut down schools. Nunes accused the two of hypocrisy stemming from past events where Pelosi and Newsom were both caught without masks inside California businesses.
The current GOP representative also went on to to tie-in former President Barack Obama's "super spreader event" in celebration of his birthday at Martha's Vineyard earlier this month as evidence of widespread Democratic lawmaker hypocrisy.
"I just think no matter what Dr. [Anthony] Fauci and all these guys say, we're getting a huge split in this country because it's the old saying of 'do what I say and not what I do,' and I think people have had enough of it," Nunes said.
"But I think there's something more important about what real leadership should be talking about, what every leader should be saying is, if you get sick, if you get anything, get treated...there's nothing wrong with going to a doctor or getting on some antibiotics, we know that you're highly likely to survive this," he also remarked.
Newsweek reached out to representatives for both Nunes and Schwarzenegger Sunday for any additional remarks about approaches to the ongoing vaccination process.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Benjamin Fearnow is a reporter based out of Newsweek's New York City offices. He was previously at CBS and Mediaite ... Read more
