Media

Jeff Daniels Claims That Trump’s Re-election Would End Democracy

Actor Jeff Daniels on MSNBC (5/20)

Mike Brest Reporter
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Actor Jeff Daniels claimed during his Monday appearance on MSNBC that if President Donald Trump gets re-elected in 2020, it would signal the end of democracy.

Daniels was on the show to discuss the upcoming election and how his role in the Broadway production of the 1960 book “To Kill A Mockingbird,” in which he plays the lead character Atticus Finch, is relevant to the current political climate.

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“After the election, I was surprised some of the people, you know, I said, ‘Can you believe this election?’ And they go, ‘Yeah, isn’t it great?’ You’re going ‘Whoa.’ My wife’s on Facebook, we got another Trumper. You didn’t see it coming,” Daniels stated. “Atticus [Finch] goes through this. I know these people. They’re good people. There are reasons why. He’s an apologist, he’s an enabler.”

He continued:

I think there are people in the midwest, between the coasts, who don’t care about this, don’t have time for this, who have to make a decision now. You have to decide whether, like Atticus, you believe there is still compassion, decency, civility, respect for others, do unto others, remember that? Do unto others. All that stuff you guys believe in and you still voted not for Hillary, for Trump, where are you now? Your kids are looking up at you going, but he lies. I think there are a lot of people in the midwest who are going — it might be enough for them. We’ll find out if the big gamble is to go all the way to November 2020, which I agree, and lose, it’s the end of democracy.

Not a single person on the panel pushed back at the claim that Trump’s re-election would end democracy.

Instead, Nicolle Wallace brought up the fact that former FBI Director James Comey went and saw the play back in January. She proceeded to read a text she received from Comey about his thoughts on the play.


Later on in the segment, Daniels went on a tangent suggesting that people only supported Trump because they wanted lower taxes and that “race” played a role in his support.

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