Arnold Schwarzenegger Stable After Heart Surgery: 'I'm Back'

Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in stable condition after heart surgery, according to his rep.

Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson Daniel Ketchell said on Twitter that the 70-year-old was in “good spirits” after waking up on Friday, with his first words after surgery being “I’m back,” a riff on his famous “Terminator” catchphrase.

Update: @Schwarzenegger is awake and his first words were actually “I’m back”, so he is in good spirits. https://t.co/bJ4pxqS8l6

— Daniel Ketchell (@ketch) March 30, 2018

On Thursday, the actor and former politician underwent a procedure to replace an artificial heart valve from 1997. The surgery was initially reported as emergency open heart surgery, but Ketchell clarified that an open-heart surgery team was simply prepared as a contingency in the event that the procedure was unable to be performed.

Also Read: Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Emergency Heart Surgery

“Yesterday, Governor Schwarzenegger underwent a planned procedure at Cedars-Sinai [in Los Angeles] to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced due to a congenital heart defect in 1997,” Ketchell said in the statement. “That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it yesterday through a less-evasive catheter valve replacement.”

Schwarzenegger served two terms as the 38th governor of California beginning in 2003, and has starred in a number of films including the “Terminator” franchise, “Total Recall” and “Predator,” in addition to serving as the host of NBC’s “The New Celebrity Apprentice.”

Trump vs Schwarzenegger: 9 Moments in History of Friends Turned Rivals (Photos)

Here's a look back at the long and complicated history between the two celebrities-turned-politicians.
Getty
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Trump were buddy-buddy at first, seen joking around at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York, according to a 2016 Politico article. At Trump's request, Schwarzenegger even moved his entourage from the Mandarin Hotel to one of Trump's hotels, which irked Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver.
Wikimedia Commons
Schwarzenegger had a guest appearance on an episode of "The Apprentice: Los Angeles" in 2007, when he was governor of California. He invited contestants into his private conference room in Sacramento. Back then, Trump described the Governator as a "great friend."
NBC
Apparently he was such a great friend that a month later, Trump donated $10,000 to Schwarzenegger to help pay off debts from his 2006 re-election campaign. The donation got Schwarzenegger in hot water, as political watchdogs saw it as him using his celebrity status to solve his political problems.
Getty
In September 2015, NBC named Schwarzenegger to take over as host of "Celebrity Apprentice" following Trump's entrance into the the presidential race -- and after the candidate's statements about Mexicans prompted NBC Universal to cut its business ties with real estate mogul.
Getty
During Trump's presidential campaign, Schwarzenegger would not provide the same support, instead endorsing Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Republican primary.
Getty
Even after Trump won the GOP nomination, Schwarzenegger took to social media to he would not vote for Trump...whom he would not refer to by name. "It's not only acceptable to choose your country over your party -- it is your duty," he said.
Trump struck back a few weeks before his inauguration in January 2017, mocking the low ratings Schwarzenegger was getting as host of "Celebrity Apprentice" while referring to himself as a "ratings machine." Trump had made similar taunts at Martha Stewart when she hosted her version of the reality show back in 2005.
NBC
Schwarzenegger responded by wishing Trump luck and saying that he hoped "you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings."
NBC
In February 2017, President Trump mocked Schwarzenegger for his "Celebrity Apprentice" ratings at the ordinarily serious National Prayer Breakfast, calling on the crowd to "pray for Arnold."
Getty
In response, Schwarzenegger suggested in a Facebook video that he and Trump switch jobs: "You take over TV, because you're such an expert in ratings. And I take over your job. And then people can finally sleep comfortably again."

Also Read: Is Trump Exploiting UC Berkeley’s Left-Wing History With New Threat of ‘No Federal Funds’?