Flabby, Pasty Boy...

Arnold Schwarzenegger taunts once-boisterous Trump official after SCOTUS ruling

Alec Regimbal

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career in Hollywood yielded several quotes that are now woven into the country’s pop culture fabric, perhaps none more famous than the line “I’ll be back,” from his role as a time-traveling robot assassin in the 1984 science-fiction film “The Terminator.” 

True to form, the actor-turned-politician came back for another round of taunts directed at former Trump administration official Jeffrey Clark on Tuesday, following up on a brutal Twitter roast from October 2022. At that time, the two briefly sparred over Schwarzenegger filing an amicus brief in a United States Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court issued its decision for that case on Tuesday, ruling the way Schwarzenegger had hoped. 

“Hi Jeff! I know the Supreme Court went my way in Moore v. Harper and not yours, but I’m still here for leg training tips! You can get some free workouts and positivity here (it might help you!),” Schwarzenegger tweeted, which included a link to his daily fitness newsletter. 

The feud between Schwarzenegger and Clark — who served as an assistant attorney general in the Trump administration — began when Schwarzenegger announced that he had filed an amicus brief to the court in Moore v. Harper.

The case centered on a controversial interpretation of the U.S. Constitution known as the “independent state legislature theory.” In its most extreme form, the theory holds that state legislatures have unfettered authority over federal elections and that state courts cannot enforce state constitutional provisions. The case made its way to the high court after the North Carolina Supreme Court rejected an extremely gerrymandered boundary map that conservative state lawmakers drew in 2021 during redistricting. 

In Schwarzenegger’s amicus brief — a document typically penned by an expert that is meant to help justices make better-informed rulings — he argued that the independent state legislature theory is “incoherent and standardless” and urged the court to rule against those seeking to overturn the decision of the North Carolina court. That caught the attention of Clark, who called Schwarzenegger a fake Republican on Twitter.

“You know when faux Republican 'the Ahhnold' is de-mothballed to file an amicus brief at the Supreme Court — one authored by significant Democrat Supreme Court practitioner David Frederick, the Dem party is very, very concerned about how Moore v. Harper could come out at the [Supreme Court],” Clark wrote in October. 

Schwarzenegger quickly fired back. He posted a picture of Clark standing handcuffed in his driveway wearing nothing but a dress shirt and underwear, which was taken from a now-famous video in which Clark’s home was raided by federal authorities during an investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Schwarzenegger, who first rose to prominence as a world-champion bodybuilder, mocked Clark’s physique in the photo caption. 

“Thanks for the kind message! I loved this photo of you, but if you want some tips on squatting to build up those legs, I’m here for you,” he wrote. 

After a meek reply from Clark, in which he admitted to being a fan of Schwarzenegger’s movies, the beef between the two seemed to be over. However, after the court ruled 6-3 against the strongest form of the theory, Schwarzenegger reignited a months-old internet rivalry. Perhaps having learned his lesson, the former Trump official had not yet responded to Schwarzenegger as of Tuesday afternoon, despite being active on Twitter for most of the day.