Ron Howard slams Trump as 'self-serving, dishonest, morally bankrupt egomaniac' who is 'hustling the US'
Filmmaker and actor Ron Howard is the latest in a long line of celebrities to hit out at Donald Trump, with the 65-year-old calling the president a "morally bankrupt egomaniac."
The comments were made by the Oscar-winning director, who first gained national attention for playing Opie Taylor in popular sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show' in the 60s before going on to helm iconic films such as 'Apollo 13' and 'A Beautiful Mind,' in response to a post asking why Trump's achievements were constantly degraded.
"Question: why is the smallest of achievements heralded as better than the second coming of Jesus when it comes to Obama, but with Trump it is only negativity from Hollywood & Democrats?" one user posted.
In response, Howard wrote, "In the entertainment industry many who have known/worked w/ Trump think that while his reality show was fun and ran a long time, he’s a self-serving, dishonest, morally bankrupt egomaniac who doesn’t care about anything or anyone but his Fame & bank account & is hustling the US [sic]."
When another pointed out that Howard had described most of the entertainment industry, he hit back and said, "They aren't elected servants or leading the free world."
He also responded to one user who had written that Hollywood "is a collection of amoral elitists who hate average Americans," writing, "Honestly not what I’ve seen or felt throughout my lifetime from the vast majority of people in the entertainment business. In fact, I gotta say it’s the opposite. Most are not from LA or NY to begin with. Now Trump is both an elite and a reality show star."
But that response was not enough to placate all the dissenters, with one attacking him and posting, "Wow. So brave. Now do Weinstein, Spacey, Bryan Singer, Polanski....... I haven’t heard one peep from you during the decades where they preyed on the vulnerable. And I’m SURE you knew. You have no credibility."
Howard once again pointed out that it was not the same because they were not running for office. "If they run for public office they should be highly questioned and scrutinized and held accountable for their behavior and what they represent to the world. I wouldn’t vote for any of those you’ve listed nor advocate their election," he said.
Surprisingly, he revealed that, when he first became eligible to vote, he cast it in favor of President Richard Nixon during the 1972 elections, but that he wouldn't do so anymore as the GOP was no longer what it used to be.