It’s no secret. Most of Hollywood hates President Donald J. Trump. So, when an Oscar winning actor addresses America with a pro-Trump message, it is definitely newsworthy.
Last week, Jon Voight released two videos praising Trump, who he called “the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln” according to The Blaze. Unsurprisingly, Voight’s message wasn’t well received by his colleagues. The fallout was swift and cruel.
In the videos, the Oscar winning actor addressed the “people of the Republican Party.” He applauded the President’s on-the-job accomplishments, which he noted haven’t been easy because “[Trump’s] battling the left and their absurd words of destruction.” Voight commented, “I’m here today to acknowledge the truth, and I’m here today to tell you, my fellow Americans, that our country is stronger, safer, and with more jobs because our president has made his every move correct.”
The Oscar winning actor went on to say, “Don’t be fooled by the political left because we are the people of this nation that is witnessing triumph. So let us stand with our president, let us stand for this truth that President Trump is the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln. God bless America, and may God continue to guide this nation.”
Actress and liberal activist Alyssa Milano was quick to express her disdain of Voight’s remarks. The day after the Academy Award-winning actor released the videos, Milano shared one of them on Twitter. She also wrote, “Now I understand why Republicans like to discredit actors and our political views. ‘Stay in your lane, Jon!’ ‘Has been!’ ‘F-lister trying to stay relevant!’ ‘Nobody cares what an out of touch actor thinks!’”
Rather than pat the actress on the back for calling out a fellow actor who dared to be different and support the President, most people actually responded negatively to Milano’s tweet. According to TheBlaze, one user tweeted, “Am I the only one who sees the irony in this tweet?”
Milano has been in the news recently railing about the “heartbeat bill” passed by Georgia’s legislature and signed by the state’s Governor Brian Kemp. Another user quipped, “@jonvoight is no f-lister; 1 Academy award & 4 Golden Globes and still acting. More credits than yours. No need to call names because of differing opinions and beliefs. #tolerancegoesbothways” while someone else wrote, “You would be lucky to have 1/10th of his acting career and talent.”
In addition to Milano, comic legend Albert Brooks heaped insults onto Voight for his pro-Trump stance. According to Fox News, Brooks tweeted, “I like Jon Voight as an actor. He might be the greatest actor since John Wilkes Booth.” The comic legend’s tweet was an obvious response to Voight’s claim that Trump was “the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln.”
Unlike Milano and Brooks, actor Robert Davi came to Voight’s defense. Requesting civility from Hollywood’s left, Davi stated in a video he tweeted, “Jon Voight is a friend of mine, he is an upstanding human being. He’s full of integrity and love for this nation. He is someone who is courageous, I’ve seen him go out of his way for first responders, the fire department, I have seen him many times rise to the occasion for the military, for our troops.” The actor mentioned how Hollywood welcomed Voight when the Oscar winning actor was liberal. However, they quickly turned on him when he started venturing to the right.
Davi aptly remarked, “In Hollywood right now, where is the elder statesman? Back in the 40s, Ronald Reagan went to a left-wing meeting in Hollywood… and he spoke up and he was shouted down. There was one person that said, ‘let him speak,’ and that was John Garfield. Where is the John Garfield today in the left wing of America’s Hollywood?”
The emboldened actor went on to comment, “the continued beratement” of the President and his supporters is usually from those of Hollywood’s elite and should end. Davi said, “They live in a different society than the John Doe that’s in America somewhere, in Arkansas or the coal mines of Pennsylvania or Ohio. There are differences of opinion.”
Whether one agrees with Voight’s political views or not, he should be commended for boldly taking a stand that he knew would be unpopular among his peers. Conservatives should proudly support projects that Voight and those like him participate in.
