Arnold Schwarzenegger on potential VP pick Karen Bass: "trustworthy... team player"

LOS ANGELES - "I had a wonderful working relationship with Karen Bass,” former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told FOX 11’s Elex Michaelson in an exclusive interview on The Issue Is. “I have absolutely nothing negative to say about her at all.”

While Schwarzenegger was California's Governor, Bass served as Speaker of the Assembly. 

“She was a trustworthy person, she kept her word, she was great to work with, she went beyond ideology, she was able to reach across the aisle,” Schwarzenegger continued, adding that Bass understands the only way to move forward is for Democrats and Republicans to work together.

When Bass, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, appeared on The Issue Is on June 12, she claimed she was not knowingly being vetted by the Biden campaign, but would “of course” accept an offer to join the ticket.

In the weeks that followed, Bass garnered widespread bipartisan support, from Conservatives such as George Will and Frank Luntz to Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in the process vaulting to front-runner status in the Veepstakes alongside the likes of California Senator Kamala Harris and Ambassador Susan Rice.

With that newfound attention, Bass has also weathered a series of opposition attacks, namely the resurfacing of past statements praising former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and the Church of Scientology.

Schwarzenegger was unmoved by the attacks.

“I think that you can look into her and you will find faults, and you will find red flags, but you can find that about anybody,” the former Governor said. “I just tell you that I had a wonderful relationship with her, and for a Republican to say that she was a great team player, I think that says a lot.”

With that praise in mind, Michaelson asked Schwarzenegger if he thinks Biden should choose Bass as his running mate.

“My message to Joe Biden is, is that he has to figure out, and the Democrats have to figure out, who they have to pick,” Schwarzenegger said. “I don’t get involved in their picks.”

In a wide-ranging interview on The Issue Is, Schwarzenegger also discussed race relations in America, California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, his recent 73rd birthday, and the impending arrival of his first grandchild.

The Issue Is is California's only statewide political show. Watch FOX 11 Los Angeles Fridays at 10:30PM and Sundays at 9:30AM. For more showtimes and information, go to TheIssueIsShow.com.