“Daddy, Arnold Loves Nixon!”: Maria Shriver’s Younger Brother Left Arnold Schwarzenegger Awkward at His First Family Dinner With the Kennedys

Rising through his epic bodybuilding career, Arnold Schwarzenegger eventually drifted from the glamorous industry to the political domain. So much so that, he ran for, and ended up getting elected as the 38th Governor of California in 2003. Likewise, his ex-wife, Maria Shriver was a member of the esteemed political family, The Kennedys. Therefore, this element once landed the icon in a tricky situation. 

As revealed in his biography, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, Schwarzenegger met with the Shrivers for dinner. It was his first meeting with them, and dreadful of any mishap, he was in his best demeanor. However, one of Maria’s brothers did the implausible and teased a controversy. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a pickle with The Kennedys

According to the book, the 6x Mr. Olympia shared an anecdote from his foremost meeting with the Shrivers which took a political turn. Everything seemed to go fine until a younger sibling of Maria’s chirped, “Daddy, Arnold loves Nixon!” Apparently, her father, Sargent Shriver, was a close friend of the former U.S. Vice President, Hubert Humphrey. Who, in turn, was running against the 37th U.S. President, Richard Nixon. The controversy was, The Kennedy family bailed out on Humphrey after he’d asked Sarge to run alongside him.

The awkward scenario made Schwarzenegger uncomfortable. Interestingly, Sargent resorted to his diplomat persona and said, “Well, everyone thinks differently about these things.” He recounts the episode while thanking the Shrivers for being kind. Interestingly, the 67-year-old author had four brothers, of varying ages from 12 to 23 while her father was an intellectual of German descent. 

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Furthermore, the book revealed that The Terminator actor later on, explained his admiration for Nixon to Sarge. However, the duo bonded eventually to their Deutsch backgrounds, and the source presents instances of the same.

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Evidently, the Austrian Oak’s interest in politics stems from his personal experiences and also his involvement with the Kennedy family. Schwarzenegger’s role as a politician underwent a lot many gradients, from losing millions of dollars to facing criticism from other athletes. Regardless, his presence is hailed by the world. What did you think of his mishap at the Shrivers? Let us know in the comments.