“They Sent Me a Bill to Forbid”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Own Legislators Turned Against Him After He Didn’t Compromise on His Unhealthy Habit

Seven times Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven time and again what he is capable of if he decides something. At the inception of his journey, he became a Mr. Olympia champion despite people telling him that he was not lean enough. Then, he made his way to showbiz and hosted his flag in the industry, even after countless people doubted his potential. And now, it seems that he got his way even during his political career. 

One thing that we all are aware of about Arnold at this point is his love for a good ‘stogie.’ The bodybuilding veteran loves to smoke cigars and won’t compromise when it comes to smoking. Back in 2003, when Schwarzenegger was the Governor of California, he faced a battle against his own legislator after he decided to not stop smoking. But what exactly happened? Let’s take a look. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger against his own legislator

When it comes to smoking tobacco, the state of California has some very strict rules and policies. When Schwarzenegger was asked to stop smoking because of the rule that prohibits smoking within 20 feet of buildings and gates, he came up with a brilliant solution to keep up his bad habit. Talking about this during an interview with Marvin R. Shanken, ‘The Austrian Oak’ admitted that it was his idea to build a tent 20 feet away from the building where the leaders could smoke.

But what was the consequence of this? Well, Arnold confessed that “they sent me a bill to forbid smoking in a smoking tent. And so of course, I didn’t sign it. I videoed it with a nice video message on it.” Being the witty and clever person he is, Schwarzenegger also used his habit of smoking to his benefit. 

Schwarzenegger used the smoking tent to get things done

As soon as he got the tent in place, there were countless democrats and leaders who wanted to use it for smoking as well. Schwarzenegger admits that the tent was of great help. “That’s how I got most of my deals done,” he stated. “They came down to smoke. And then, like I said, we found something in common, which is smoking,” Schwarzenegger added. 

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And when he sat along with other leaders to smoke, they often got into discussions about each other’s work. This was when Schwarzenegger often offered to improvise on a certain bill to sign it. “I said, Well, let me look at it and there’s a maybe I can make some corrections in the bill so that it is possible for me to sign it. So we started working together,” the former governor confessed. 

Read More: From Sweltering Heat to Military Training, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $160.5 Million Film Was Far More Intense To Shoot

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