As President Donald Trump continues his campaign to deflect attention from America’s lax gun laws and his influence on white supremacy in the aftermath of last weekend’s mass shootings, he has set his sights on Hollywood.
When asked on Friday if his rhetoric has contributed to gun violence in America, Trump went on the offensive against the entertainment industry. The president said:
“Hollywood is really terrible. You talk about ‘racist.’ Hollywood is racist. What they’re doing, with the kind of movies they’re putting out, it’s actually very dangerous for our country. What Hollywood is doing is a tremendous disservice to our country.”
He added, “They treat conservatives, Republicans, totally different than they treat others.”
Then, President Trump insisted that “all the heads of the biggest companies” would be coming to the White House to discuss the politics of their films and TV shows with him in the near future.
Trump’s attack on Hollywood comes days after the president blamed video games for gun violence in a White House address. “We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace,” he said on Monday.
In the aftermath of last weekend’s shootings, and with the revelation of the apparent white supremacist views of the El Paso gunman, Trump has been quick to blame the media. Many on the left see this as a distraction from calls for stricter gun laws and increased vigilance against white supremacy.
This is not the first time that Trump has called Hollywood’s output “racist.” In the past, Trump accused film and television aimed at broadening representation of being racist.
How is ABC Television allowed to have a show entitled "Blackish"? Can you imagine the furor of a show, "Whiteish"! Racism at highest level?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2014
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- Pro-Trump subreddit featured ‘invasion’ rhetoric ahead of El Paso shooting
- .No, Trump isn’t secretly saluting white supremacists with his flag decision
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