Film icon Richard Gere, who has retired from Hollywood, has once again criticized Donald Trump‘s leadership, labeling him a “dark, dark presence” and expressing concern over the damage he believes the president has inflicted on the United States.
When questioned by a journalist if he shared the apprehensions of other Hollywood personalities about the political climate in the US, the Pretty Woman star didn’t mince words.
“Of course,” Gere responded. “No, I mean, we have a president who’s completely… He’s not only crazy, he’s a dark, dark presence. And it’s happened so quickly. Six months, he’s almost destroyed our country.”
These remarks were made in Barcelona at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Open Arms, a Spanish NGO that carries out search-and-rescue missions for migrants at sea.
Gere, who had announced the previous year that he was relocating to Spain with his wife, Alejandra Silva, spoke openly about what he perceived as a swift deterioration in the tone and leadership of American politics.
Earlier this year, in February 2025, the 75-year-old actor revisited the political atmosphere while accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award at Spain’s Goya Awards – the nation’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Taking the stage in Seville, Gere reflected on the state of America and beyond.
“I’m coming from a place now where 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,” he told the audience.
The An Officer and a Gentleman star, who received the honor from his friend Antonio Banderas, delivered an emotional speech about the importance of compassion and shared responsibility during what he characterized as turbulent times.
“We’re all part of a universe of overlapping pain and sadness and joy and expectations and dreams and hopes and visions,” he said.
“And I see this world that we’re in now forgetting that. This kind of very foolish tribalism is starting to take us over where we think we’re all separate from each other. And we have unfortunately elected officials that don’t inspire us in the way we want to be inspired.”
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Gere connected the American political climate to a broader international pattern. “It’s not just in the US – it’s everywhere,” he continued.
“I read a really moving letter in The New York Times from a gentleman in Hungary, and he was talking about the slippery slope of how this happens everywhere. Authoritarianism takes us all over. 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.”
Addressing the audience directly, he implored: “We have to be willing to stand up, tell the truth, be honest, and recognise that there’s a place in all of our lives for basic kindness, for basic love and understanding, and an embrace of each other in a very fundamental and real way.”
He ended on a typically spiritual note, saying, “Our prayers are kind of us talking to God, but a meditative listening is listening to God. So maybe we can all do a little more of listening to the universe to tell us the truth and tell us where we can move in our hearts and our minds to really behave like brothers and sisters to everyone on this planet.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
