Richard Gere did not hold back in his latest criticism of Donald Trump. In a recent interview, the actor blasted the president, drawing a bold comparison to Nazi Germany. Gere said that America is experiencing one of its darkest periods, urging citizens to be more “vigilant.”
Richard Gere gives warning about Donald Trump
Richard Gere attended the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway on Tuesday, where he presented the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. Speaking at the event, the Pretty Woman actor launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, making a jaw-dropping historical comparison.
“We’re living in the darkest moment that I’ve experienced on this planet,” Gere said. Referring to Trump, the actor continued, “Whoever thought America could turn like this? Whoever thought that a maniac like this would be president of the United States?”
Gere went on to blast the president for dismantling “all the good things.” He added, “America’s never been a perfect place, but it has a perfect ideal that it’s moving towards and always has. And it’s been self-corrective. First day, this guy dismantled almost everything that was good about the US government and the US people.”
The Golden Globe-winning actor then gave his thoughts on what caused this. Partly blaming the American citizens, Gere said, “Because we went to sleep. We went to sleep… we didn’t care, we didn’t vote, we didn’t really listen.”
While noting that he did not vote for Trump, Gere lamented, “I didn’t do enough work to skillfully convince people around me, close to me, not close to me, that this was insane to elect this person as president of the United States.”
At one point, Gere recalled his visit to the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau in Germany, drawing a bold historical comparison. The actor recounted viewing the exhibits documenting “the transformation of German society and German government” in the 1930s. Gere noted, “How quickly it happened there. Good people turned into monsters.”
Additionally, Gere declared, “We have to be vigilant. We can’t sit back and go, ‘Ah, life is good. I’m fine. I’ve got food. I got money. Blah blah blah. I got my house. I got another car. I’m thinking about this. I’m okay. I know he’s a bad guy, but it’s okay.”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
