Jon Voight says Democratic Party has been 'overtaken by Marxists' who took 'God out of their platform'
Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight on Thursday said that it has become progressively more challenging for entertainment industry conservatives to function in Hollywood because of decades-long stream of "propaganda." The 80-year-old made the statement at the White House where he received the National Medal of Arts from President Donald Trump in an East Room ceremony.
Trump, during the ceremony, called the Voight "an actor of astonishing range and depth" and "one of America's greatest living legends in cinema." The president later invited the actor to travel with him on Marine One and Air Force One for a "dignified transfer of remains" ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Voight, in a brief interview before the ceremony, praised the National Endowment for the Arts and said that he was "humbled" by the honor. He, however, also slammed the California culture.
"They're programmed, you see," the actor told DailyMail.com. "There's been an attack with propaganda that was inserted over the years, you know. A lot of it in the '60s. And people don't realize that they've been undermined. The Democratic Party's been undermined, overtaken by Marxists, and, you know, and atheists. They took God out of their platform. Can you imagine that?" he asked.
The acting legend, while talking about the White House ceremony, also said: "I guarantee you that I'll be very moved to be in that room, to be in the room with a history of that room and this house, and to be given this medal by the hand of this great president. I'll be very moved."
Voight is one of the first recipients of the National Medal of Arts ever since Trump took office. Although these honors were an annual affair during previous administrations, the Trump administration has not held a single such event ever since President Trump took office in January 2017, until now.
The last arts and humanities medals were awarded by President Barack Obama in September 2016.