Arnold Schwarzenegger has branded Donald Trump the "worst president in history".

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The former Governor of California hit out at the US leader following the Capitol riots - which were sparked by the Commander-in-Chief's repeated claims of election fraud - last week but warned the former 'Apprentice' star will quickly be deemed "irrelevant" once he leaves office.

He said: "President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election and of a fair election. He sought a coup by misleading people with lies...

" I know where such lies lead. President Trump is a failed leader. He will go down in history as the worst president ever. The good thing is he will soon be as irrelevant as an old tweet."

The 'Terminator' star then went on to criticise the individuals who have "enabled [Trump's] lies and his treachery."

He continued in a video message: "John F. Kennedy wrote a book called Profiles in Courage. A number of members of my own party, because of their own spinelessness, would never see their names in such a book. I guarantee you/

"They're complicit with those who carried the flag of self-righteous insurrection into the Capitol."

The 73-year-old actor also reflected on the history of his home country, Austria, which "suffered the loss of its democracy" in the 1930s and drew comparisons with the US today.

He said: "I grew up in Austria. I'm very aware of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. It was a night of rampage against the Jews in carried out in 1938 by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys.

"Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States.

"The broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol. But the mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol. They shattered the ideas we took for granted.

"They did not just break down the doors of the building that housed American democracy. They trampled the very principles on which our country was founded."

The 'Twins' actor was born two years after World War II ended and recalled how he saw "broken men drinking away the guilt over their participation in the most evil regime in history."

He explained the movement had "started with lies, and lies, and lies, and intolerance" and warned America could face "dire consequences".

He said: "So being from Europe, I've seen firsthand how things can spin out of control. I know there is a fear in this country and all over the world that something like this could happen right here.

"Now, I do not believe it is, but I do believe we must be aware of the dire consequences of selfishness and cynicism."