Ideas

What Schwarzenegger Knows About George Washington

The former California governor is the latest to recognize that the most remarkable thing about the first president was not how he exercised power, but how he yielded it.

First published in The Atlantic on July 7, 2025

by Craig Bruce Smith, The Atlantic

July 31, 2025 | reading time: 4 Min.

On July 4, Arnold Schwarzenegger made his first pilgrimage to Mount Vernon. The former California governor was there to congratulate 100 individuals from nearly as many countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, as they became American citizens. In doing so, he joined a long line of distinguished individuals who have come to pay homage to a man whose leadership was defined not by how he wielded power, but by how he gave it up.