Award-winning Hollywood director Ron Howard provided his opinion on President Donald Trump over the New Year’s holiday. He claimed that despite his reality TV success, the current president is a “self-serving, ego-maniac.”
Howard’s Twitter lecture began with the Solo: A Star Wars Story director sharing The Washington Post’s piece on how the President’s economy has “performed well” but is “by no means an unheard of performance.” The piece cited Bloomberg data demonstrating that both President Clinton and President Obama boasted higher stock market numbers three years into their presidencies in order to correct Trump’s boast that, “Trump stock market rally is far outpacing past U.S. presidents.”
Howard commented, “useful context going into #2020.” Fair enough, but let’s also add the context that Trump’s numbers are beating several previous presidents (as he claimed), including President Carter’s and President Reagan’s; and though Barack and Clinton had experienced higher stock market numbers in their respective first three years in office, they did not have remotely the same level of bias levied at them that Trump has received.
One user responded to Howard’s tweet, saying, “Now add in unemployment numbers for all races/gender, GDP, consumer confidence and clearly he outpaces term all. ALWAYS trying to find fault..... Loved SOLO... stick to that.”
Another user asked the director a million-dollar question on media and Hollywood bias, tweeting, “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?”
Though Howard didn’t really address the point of that question, he did offer his opinion of the 45th president, responding, “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 ego maniac.”
Howard added that Trump “doesn’t care about anything or anyone but his Fame & bank account & is hustling the US.”
Though if Howard had asked some of the people he was condescending to, they would’ve told him that they see most Hollywood A-listers — him included — the same way.
One user, Kimberly Morin, responded, “You just described the majority of Hollyweirdos... *golf clap*.” Another answered similarly: “Odd, but that's how most of Americans feel about Hollywood!!!”
Someone else posed another searing question to the filmmaker: “Are we to trust the judgement of an industry that gave a standing ovation to Roman Polanski and knew about Weinstein and did nothing?” Seemingly unfazed, Howard quipped back, “nope, but it’s constructive to hear differing opinions and weigh them as you continue to broaden your knowledge and refine your own point of view.”
It’s tough to argue with that. After all, where on earth is there a better place than Hollywood to get a healthy perspective on ego-mania and moral bankruptcy?
