Movie star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has once again compared the Jan. 6 capital breach to Kristallnacht, the attack on the Jewish people that ultimately led to the Holocaust.
Schwarzenegger’s comments came Friday during an episode of CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, when he defended his previous opinion that the two events were similar in that they both occurred because citizens were lied to. “The Terminator” actor, who strongly opposes former President Donald Trump, told Wallace that Americans are being misled the same way his own Nazi father was during World War II.
“Kristallnacht” or “Night of Broken Glass” took place on Nov. 9-10 in 1938. It’s estimated hundreds of Jews were killed when Nazi activists smashed Jewish-owned storefronts, thus the name “Kristallnacht,” which referred to all the broken glass on the streets. Synagogues were also set on fire while homes, schools, hospitals, and cemeteries were destroyed. While Jews were already being discriminated against in Germany, the incident instigated myriad arrests and deportations and the subjugation of 30,000 Jews to concentration camps. World War II broke out nine months later.
“I mean, I think that it is, of course, a different time and all that. But it is kind of like a threat to democracy and a threat of what happens to people when they’re lied to,” Schwarzenegger told Wallace after the news host queried him about whether or not the two incidents were a fair comparison.
Schwarzenegger, 73, responded, “Yes, absolutely.”
His comments came after Wallace played a portion of their previous interview and a speech Schwarzenegger made in January 2021 criticizing the incident and likening it to the Nazi takeover of his Austrian birthplace.
“And this is why I compared it to that. Because in Kristallnacht, I know my father, who was part of the Nazi party, they were lied to. They were misled. And I think a lot of people in America today are being misled,” added Schwarzenegger.
After it occurred, Nazi leaders falsely described Kristallnacht as an event prompted by an impulsive reaction to the assassination of German diplomat Ernst Vom Rath by a Jewish refugee. Pictures taken in the days after show Jewish shop owners cleaning up the resulting destruction.
Pointed Differences Exist Between Jan. 6 and Kristallnacht
Despite Schwarzenegger’s view, there are, however, several contrasts between the two events. Prior to the “Night of Broken Glass,” which claimed many lives, Jews were already discriminated against within Germany. The Capitol breach, which was a political incident, saw one person—protestor Ashli Babbitt—fatally shot by police, with four more people dying of other causes either during or following the event. It also occurred alongside a peaceful protest meant to put pressure on Congress to refuse to certify the presidential vote of the Electoral College.
Additionally, it didn’t set off violence nationwide, although it did occur after a summer full of anti-police riots in Democrat-backed cities across America.
And while according to the United States Department of Justice, the Jan. 6 Capitol breach resulted in $1.5 million in damages to the Capitol building itself, Kristallnacht resulted in the Nazis holding the German-Jewish community responsible for $400 million (adjusted for 1938 rates) in damages. That’s according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
While Schwarzenegger has previously faced inquiries about his father Gustuv’s Nazi past, he explained in the 2021 video that his dad and other men of his age were broken mentally by guilt of what they witnessed and how they acted.
“They were in physical pain from the shrapnel in their bodies and in emotional pain from what they saw or did,” said Schwarzenegger. “It all started with lies, and lies, and lies, and intolerance. So being from Europe I’ve seen firsthand how things can spin out of control.”
Juxtaposing modern America with 1930s Austria, Schwarzenegger said: “President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election and of a fair election. He sought a coup by misleading people with lies.”
“My father and our neighbors were misled also with lies. I know where such lies lead,” he added.
Schwarzenegger: I Would Run and Win Presidential Bid
Schwarzenegger also told Wallace that if he was eligible he would run for president in 2024 and that he would be victorious. The United States Constitution requires all presidential candidates to be natural-born U.S. citizens.
“I mean, think about it right now,” said Schwarzenegger. “I mean, who is there that is really a person that can bring everyone together … because it’s now a question about who do you vote against, rather than who do you vote for.”
“Look, it’s a no-brainer. I see so clearly how I could win that election,” he added.
When asked by Wallace about what he thought about Trump being indicted on federal charges despite most top Republican officials siding with Trump against the special prosecutor, Schwarzenegger didn’t mince words.
“If the charges are correct, then he is going to be in deep trouble,” he said. “But at the same time, I have to say you now we [are] always innocent until proven guilty so we’ll find out what the courts say in the future.”
