Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected Governor Gavin Newsom’s claim that the proposed redistricting changes would be temporary, calling the idea “total fantasy.”

“I think when he — when they say this is temporary, there is no such thing. I mean, the longest programs are government programs that are temporary. Okay, just remember that if this is a tax program or if it is the redistricting program, anything that is temporary with government is permanent,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

The action actor and former world champion bodybuilder was responding to the Newsom-backed Proposition 50, which is on the ballot in the state next month. It would allow the state assembly to bypass a voter-approved independent congressional redistricting commission, enabling the creation of up to five additional U.S. House seats that would likely be allocated to Democratic candidates.

Newsom urged the assembly to place Proposition 50 on the ballot to counter redistricting efforts in Republican-controlled states, such as Texas, Missouri, and Indiana, among others.

Early voting on the measure opened last week, Fox News reported.

“In the year 2032 when the independent redistricting commission is supposed to come back, they‘re going to say, ‘Wait a minute. There‘s still gerrymandering going on in Texas. There‘s still gerrymandering going on in Ohio. There‘s still gerrymandering going on in Florida. We have to continue with gerrymandering.’ This is what‘s going to happen. They will find an excuse. So therefore I don‘t think it is temporary. So that‘s total fantasy,” Schwarzenegger said.

In response to critics who oppose Proposition 50, Newsom said, “Spare me the moral high ground.”

What he left unsaid is that his Democratic Party has gerrymandered the states it controls for decades, leading to more Democratic-controlled House seats than the party would otherwise have.

Schwarzenegger criticized the redistricting efforts by California Democrats as “cheating” and urged the party to focus on outperforming former President Donald Trump rather than manipulating district lines.

“What the Democrats should do is they should outperform Trump. To me, it‘s all about competition creates performance. And so what they do is with the redistricting commission is that they‘re going to go and try to draw the district lines in such a way that they get voted in, no matter if they work well or not for the American people. So the American people get cheated on this whole thing. That is really the problem here,” he told Tapper.

The former Republican governor of California acknowledged that partisan battles between Republicans and Democrats were inevitable, but argued that the real losers in the redistricting fight were ordinary Americans, who he said were “being cheated.”

“I think that if you want to really fight for democracy, why would you go in, destroy the Constitution in California, tear it up and redo it, do the whole thing? So to me, it just doesn‘t make any sense at all,” he added.

Schwarzenegger publicly came out against the redistricting proposal in a social media post, sharing a photo of himself at the gym wearing a T-shirt that read “Terminate Gerrymandering.”

The former governor told CNN that he and Governor Gavin Newsom have discussed the issue privately, describing their exchanges as respectful and noting that both men have voiced their positions without resorting to personal attacks.

Newsom confirmed over the weekend that he is considering a run for president in 2028 but stopped short of declaring his candidacy, Conservative Brief reported.

While acknowledging his interest in a potential campaign, Newsom said he has not yet made a final decision on whether to enter the race.

“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom told “CBS News Sunday Morning” after he was asked whether he was considering a run for what would be the Democratic nomination. “I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.”

In recent months, Newsom has visited several key early primary states, including South Carolina, and launched a podcast where he has sharpened his debate skills through exchanges with conservative guests.