Despite his strong Republican credentials, Clint Eastwood claims he has yet to endorse Donald Trump for president, even though he has little time for those accusing the candidate for racism, saying they should, in fact, “get over it”.
In a joint interview with his son Scott for Esquire magazine, he says of Trump:
“You know, he’s a racist now because he’s talked about this judge. And yeah, it’s a dumb thing to say. I mean, to predicate your opinion on the fact that the guy was born to Mexican parents or something. He’s said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody—the press and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, well, that’s racist,’ and they’re making a big hoodoo out of it. Just fucking get over it. It’s a sad time in history.”
Clint despairs of the current political landscape, claiming we’re in a “pussy generation”.
The veteran star complains in the interview:
“Everybody’s walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren’t called racist.”
No, indeed.
What would Clint like to see change?
“I’d say get to work and start being more understanding of everybody—instead of calling everybody names, start being more understanding. But get in there and get it done. Kick ass and take names. And this may be my dad talking, but don’t spend what you don’t have.”
His qualified interest in this year’s election contrasts with Clint’s impassioned speech at the 2012 Republican convention, when he famously addressed Barack Obama, in an empty chair on stage.
Clint reflects now that the stunt was “silly at the time”, but he was moved by everyone talking admiringly of Obama at the time.
He remembers: “Great, he’s a great guy. I’ve got to say something more. And so I’m listening to an old Neil Diamond thing and he’s going, ‘And no one heard at all/Not even the chair.’ And I’m thinking, That’s Obama. He doesn’t go to work. He doesn’t go down to Congress and make a deal. What the hell’s he doing sitting in the White House? If I were in that job, I’d get down there and make a deal. Sure, Congress are lazy bastards, but so what? You’re the top guy. You’re the president of the company. It’s your responsibility to make sure everybody does well.”
Clint’s son Scott, also in on the interview was asked what he’d learned from his famous father. He replied: “My father’s definitely old-school. And he raised me with integrity - to be places on time, show up and work hard.”
Read the full interview with Clint and Scott Eastwood in next months’ issue of Esquire magazine, on sale from Tuesday 9 August.
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