Arnold Schwarzenegger says he regrets ever calling his political rivals “girly men” while running for governor of California over 10 years ago. 

As he told Men’s Health magazine, “At the time it felt like the right thing to do… I called them girly men because they weren’t willing to take risks,” adding, “It was shortsighted. In the long term, it’s better to not say that, because you want to work with them. When you can reach out across the aisle and work together, you can get much more accomplished.”

One incident where he used the term was in 2004, when he mocked state legislators, saying, “I call them girly men” and urging voters to “terminate” them on Election Day. He used the phrase again at the 2004 Republican National Convention. 

“You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people and faith in the U.S. economy. And to those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don’t be economic girly men,” he said at the convention.