Many had feared that if Schwarzenegger failed to live up to his promise, it would be because he needed to be liked. And that’s exactly what happened. Schwarzenegger told voters he heard their message, and promised to work with the Legislature. That signaled a lurch to the left. He won re-election. In term two, Schwarzenegger passed a landmark bill to curb greenhouse gases, a move very popular among Democrats. On the way out the door, Schwarzenegger issued a pardon that shaved nine years off a 16-year term for voluntary manslaughter that benefited the former Assembly speaker’s son.

Schwarzenegger entered politics with the sort of great American success story that only an immigrant can tell. He dreamed of becoming an American and he did. He worked hard. His belief in the free market steered him to the GOP. He worshiped conservative economist Milton Friedman. He had tried to push through meaningful pension reform and pare back state spending. But saddled with a Legislature loaded with Democrats, even with his sharp political instincts, he did not succeed. When conservative political neophytes fail, their path to salvation is to list left. And there he stayed.

Trump has fewer conservative credentials. He supports the use of eminent domain to seize property for private development. He has lavished money on Democratic candidates. If he should win the White House and find himself flailing in the polls, then he would know where to go.