Arnold Schwarzenegger: 'I will not vote for the Republican candidate for president'

The actor and former governor of California joins the ever-growing list of Republicans coming out against Mr Trump

A number of senior republicans have withdrawn their support for Mr Trump after obscene comments in which he bragged about groping and making unwanted advances on women made in 2005 were broadcast (Getty)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the lengthy list of Republicans and Hollywood actors who have come out against Donald Trump.

The 69-year-old former governor of California said despite the fact he had voted for the Republican party ever since he became a citizen in 1983, he would not be voting for the GOP this year.

Schwarzenegger, who took over for Mr Trump this year on The Apprentice, did not explicitly use Mr Trump’s name in his statement but made it clear he would not be supporting him. He did not indicate who he would be voting for in November instead.

“For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President,” the Austrian-born actor said in a statement shared on his Twitter account.

“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.”

“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,” he continued.

Schwarzenegger said while he was proud to label himself a Republican he was even prouder to call himself an “American”.

A number of senior republicans have withdrawn their support for Mr Trump after obscene comments from 2005, in which he bragged about groping and making unwanted advances on women, were broadcast. Mr Trump has since recorded a scripted apology for the sexually aggressive comments but the issue is expected to dominate his second live TV presidential debate against Hilary Clinton on Sunday night.

Despite calls from Republicans for Mr Trump to drop out of the race, he has insisted he will carry on, saying: “I’d never withdraw. I’ve never withdrawn in my life”.