Mark Ruffalo is furious about Donald Trump’s recent decision to shrink two massive national monuments in Utah, which the actor called both “disgusting” and a “slap in the face” to Native Americans.
Last week Trump signed two proclamations to reduce Bears Ears National Monument by about 85 percent and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by nearly half, accounting for about 2 million acres total.
REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, before he was honored at the Captain Planet Foundation’s annual gala on Friday, Ruffalo went off on the president’s decision, claiming he is catering to an elite group for financial gain.
“Honestly, it’s disgusting,” Ruffalo began. “They are giving away our land that we own collectively to a small elite group of people, so they can do nothing but make money.”
Ruffalo is best known for his role as The Hulk in “The Avengers” movies, but also dedicates a lot of his time to various environmental efforts as an advocate for renewable energy and co-founder of the Water Defense, according to The AP. The Captain Planet Foundation gave the 50-year-old actor an award for his efforts at their gala in Atlanta where he warned that the president’s actions would have consequences.
“This guy (Trump) ran on a populist platform where he was going to be more fair; he was going to push away the elites,” Ruffalo argued. “But all we’ve seen is him catering to a small group of people that are already very, very, very wealthy. Already very powerful. Yes, it’s disgusting. Not only that, it’s sacred native land. … Until we start to address these inequalities, we’re in trouble.”