MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Is Bruce Willis a Donald Trump supporter? 'Die Hard' actor had mocked POTUS' hair, said it's combed 'right to left'

So is he a Trump supporter? Let's have a look at this mask controversy, his 2015 appearance in 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' and the answer to this question

It's been a while since news of the 'Die Hard' actor Bruce Willis made rounds. However, that streak was recently broken when the actor was spotted allegedly getting kicked out of a store for not wearing a mask.  Between quarantining with ex Demi Moore and their three daughters in her Idaho home and returning to Los Angeles to be with his wife and his other two younger daughters, Willis must have been a busy man. However, his recent shopping trip may have left some wondering if he is a Donald Trump supporter, considering the president refused to wear a mask during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic last year. 

So is he a Trump supporter? Let's have a look at this mask controversy, his 2015 appearance in 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' and the answer to the question, of him being a Trump supporter.

What is the mask controversy?

Willis was photographed on Sunday, January 10, strolling around a Los Angeles Rite Aid without wearing a mask, before being asked to leave. According to Page Six, the people inside the store got upset that the actor wasn't wearing a mask despite the fact that he had a bandanna tied around his neck, which could have been used to cover his face.

"It was an error in judgment," Willis told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. He added, "Be safe out there everyone and let's continue to mask up" accepting his folly and warning others not to follow his example. The 65-year-old star was photographed leaving the Rite Aid in Los Angeles wearing a black jacket, a striped T-shirt, jeans and a scarf around his neck. 

The question still remains, is he a Trump supporter? His actions don't really reflect that. For example: 

When he dressed up as Donald Trump

In 2015, Willis dressed up as Donald Trump during his appearance in the 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'. He sported a blonde wig identical to that of the president's hair, "What's going on with the hair?" Jimmy Fallon asked his guest. "It suddenly has just seemed to grow exponentially, and I was a blonde when I was a kid," Willis responded. The host then showed clips of the actor sporting the blonde hair in his iconic roles in such movies as 'Armageddon', 'Die Hard', and 'Pulp Fiction'.

"How exactly do you comb it?" the comedian jokingly asked Willis. "Right to left," the actor deadpanned. "Depending on the wind, really it just handles itself." He also explained how he kept it in shape. "It's like a dune and a little water slide in the back," Willis said. It could be attributed to how often Trump has been photographed with his blonde hair blowing in the wind.

Does he support President Donald Trump?

According to Snopes, a fact-checking website, many of the outlets created fake pro-Trump quotes to attribute to the actor in an effort to promote Trump's campaign. These articles were shared widely. The fact-checking website further said, that one variant of this falsehood began spreading in November 2017, when various sites published versions of the hoax centering on Willis. At least two of these sites, USA Updated Daily News and World Wide Politics, even replicated the same centered text layout and a picture of Willis wearing a Trump wig and a red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, which he wore when he visited the Jimmy Fallon show.

According to Buzzfeed, one piece of fake news, in particular, was the second-most shared article on Facebook in 2016. Snopes wrote that many of these sites used the same made-up quote: "Before every election so far there were debates and fighting between candidates. But, once we had a winner everybody just stood behind the elected president. Now we see that the fighting and conflict continue long after the 2016 election. I don't like that. It doesn't look good. If you don't like him go to Canada or something."

After Willis's TV appearance, conservative news websites started falsely claiming he supported Trump.

A year later, before 2016 election, the photo of Willis in a MAGA hat was again used to claim he was a "total Trump fan." And in 2017, two years after the original appearance, the false claim went viral again. The Conservative Online published a story with fake quotes from Willis and scored 42,000 likes, shares, and comments on Facebook, according to the social tracking website BuzzSumo.

In 2017, Media Matter reported that some sites were spreading the hoax by using Google AdSense as their ad network.

How did the Internet react to Willis's maskless store visit?

As soon as the news hit the Internet, people were curious to know if he is actually a Trump supporter or not, as one Internet user falsely claimed said: "Oh no, just found out Bruce Willis is also a Trump-supporting #Covidiot." Another one slammed him, and said, "I knew Bruce Willis was an early Trump supporter and generally regarded as a large-type a**hole, but HOOBOY he’s proven to be absolute trash."

Another one said: "Bruce Willis" is reaching out to me guys. With mask controversy. I don’t think Bruce is Trump supporter. Bruce is asking what is really happening? Bruce: high tensions worldwide, multiple military conflicts. Yes, WWIII is highly possible. I am fighting for peace. Tatiana." Another Internet user said, "Ohhhh no, say it isn't so... Bruce Willis is a tRump supporter? WTF Bruce?!"