Schwarzenegger says Green New Deal is 'well intentioned' but 'bogus'

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in a new interview likens the Green New Deal proposed by House progressives to “a slogan” and a type of “marketing tool.”

“Something that is very well intentioned, but, I think, bogus,” he said in an interview with The Atlantic published Friday.

The former governor acknowledged that the legislation may generate new buzz for combatting climate change, but added, “[t]o me, the only thing that really matters is: How do we move forward with our goals? And this means that we stop increasing the amount of greenhouse gases and pollution that we put out there.”

Schwarzenegger, a former Republican governor who championed major energy and environmental reform in California before leaving office in 2011, said the rest of the country should follow the Golden State’s example.

“[M]y point always was that there’s only one deal, and that is the California deal,” he said.

“We in California have shown that it can be done, and we have shown how to do it. And therefore, if the nation really wants to be serious in reducing greenhouse gases by 25 percent like we did, all they have to do is copy us. That’s what states are supposed to do, to be the laboratory for the federal government, and just have the federal government copy very good ideas done by various states,” he added.

A vocal critic of President TrumpDonald John TrumpNational Archives says it altered Trump signs, other messages in Women’s March photo Dems plan marathon prep for Senate trial, wary of Trump trying to ‘game’ the process Democratic lawmaker dismisses GOP lawsuit threat: ‘Take your letter and shove it’ MORE‘s climate policies, Schwarzenegger has also sought to distance himself from others in the GOP on the issue and emphasized in the Atlantic interview that he sees himself aligned with a different type of Republican Party than the one controlling the White House.

“I think I’m a true Republican,” he said. “If you look at Ronald Reagan or President Nixon or President Lincoln, these were people that were fighting for equality. I’m inclusive. I see myself as that. I see myself as a Ronald Reagan Republican, someone that is very, very good with protecting the economy, but also good at protecting the environment.”