Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he wouldn’t cast a vote for Donald Trump in the presidential election, making it the first time ever that he hasn’t backed the Republican nominee.

“For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President,” the former California governor said in a statement he posted to Twitter on Saturday.

“Like many Americans, I’ve been conflicted by this election — I still haven’t made up my mind about how exactly I will vote next month,” the former actor wrote. “I have been a proud Republican since I moved to America in 1968 and I heard Nixon’s words about getting the government off our backs, free trade, and defending our liberty with a strong military. That day I joined the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan.

“But as proud as I am to label myself a Republican, there is one label that I hold above all else — American. So I want to take a moment today to remind my fellow Republicans that it is not only acceptable to choose your country over your party — it is your duty.”

Mr. Schwarzenegger, who endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the primaries, never mentioned Mr. Trump by name in his statement, and he didn’t elaborate on his reasons for walking away from the party. His statement came the day after The Washington Post published a 2005 tape of Mr. Trump talking with Billy Bush, then of “Access Hollywood,” about groping and having sex with women.

The two-term California governor takes over as host of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in January, after Mr. Trump was fired for “derogatory statements” he made about Mexican immigrants, The Hollywood Reporter said.

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