Richard Gere slammed Donald Trump and warned of the rise of authoritarianism globally during an awards show in Spain over the weekend.
“I’m coming from a place now that we’re in a very dark place in America, where we have a bully and a thug who is the president of the United States,” the Chicago actor said said as he accepted a lifetime achievement trophy at Spain’s Goya Awards on Saturday.
As the crowd cheered, Richard ― who last year announced he was moving to Spain, where his wife, Alejandra Silva, is from ― warned that the problem isn’t confined to his homeland.
“It’s everywhere,” he said. “Everywhere.”
Richard said he read a “moving letter” in the New York Times from a writer in Hungary who warned of the “slippery slope”.
“Authoritarianism takes us all over,” he said. “We have to be vigilant. We have to be alert. We have to be energetic. We have to be brave. We have to be courageous.
“And everyone who’s watching this ― in the Spanish-speaking world and elsewhere ― we have to be willing to stand up, tell the truth, be honest. And there’s a place in all of our lives for basic kindness, for basic love and understanding.”
Variety noted that Richard made similar comments at a news conference on Friday where he warned that the “dark marriage of money and power” in the United States is a danger to the entire planet.
“The millionaire clowns surrounding Trump are immature and narcissistic, a deadly mix,” he said.