Celebrities have shared their disappointment and anger over Donald Trump’s re-election as president.
The Republican’s Tuesday victory over opponent Kamala Harris sent shock waves throughout Hollywood after the Democratic candidate ran a campaign filled with A-list names including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Springsteen and Julia Roberts.
The Don’t Look Up director Adam McKay expressed frustration with how the past year has been handled by the Democratic party. “Who would have guessed lying about Biden’s cognitive health for 2 yrs, refusing to do an open convention for a new nominee, never mentioning public healthcare & embracing fracking, the Cheneys & a yr long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a winning strategy?” he wrote. He later added: “It is time to abandon the Dem Party.”
Rapper Cardi B, who had appeared at a rally for Harris, shared an Instagram video of herself watching the results with the caption: “I hate y’all bad.” When asked if she would appear at Trump’s inauguration during an Instagram live, she said: “I’m sick of you! Burn your fucking hats, motherfucker. I’m really sad. I swear to God I’m really sad.”
In a lengthy Instagram post, Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis wrote that it would be “a return to a more restrictive, some fear draconian time” and that minority groups will now be more afraid. “But what it really means is that we wake up and fight,” she wrote. “Fight for women and our children and their futures and fight against tyranny, one day at a time. One fight at a time. One protest at a time. That’s what it means to be an American.”
Actor John Cusack, who has long been politically outspoken online, wrote: “The fact that the country would choose to destroy itself by voting in a convicted felon rapist and Nazi is a sign of deep nihilism. To put it mildly.”
Christina Applegate, star of Dead to Me and Married … with Children, conveyed her upset over the effect the result will have on women. “My child is sobbing because her rights as a woman may be taken away,” she wrote. “Why? And if you disagree, please unfollow me.” Billie Eilish echoed her thoughts in an Instagram story, calling it “a war on women”.
Ariana Grande wrote in an Instagram story that she is “holding the hand of every person who is feeling the immeasurable heaviness of this outcome today.”
The Wire actor Wendell Pierce congratulated Harris for running “a great campaign” and warned of what will now happen under Trump. “Elections have consequences,” he wrote. “The Supreme Court will be changed for a generation. I’ll never see a moderate court again in my lifetime.” He also criticised Trump’s “racism, misogyny, xenophobia”.
Oscar winner Viola Davis also thanked Harris for her “bravery” and for “loving America’s promise”. She added: “I am and will forever be proud”.
Author Stephen King shared the following: “There’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy.”
Duncan Jones, director of Moon and son of David Bowie, posted that he was feeling “very Brexity” while expressing pessimism over the millions who voted for Trump. “I think we may have overestimated the goodness in people,” he wrote.
Singer Ethel Cain called the situation “bleak” and had a strongly worded message for Trump voters. “If you voted for Trump, I hope that peace never finds you,” she wrote. “Instead, I hope clarity strikes you someday like a clap of lightning and you have to live the rest of your life with the knowledge and guilt of what you’ve done and who you are as a person.”
On The View, Whoopi Goldberg, who has been outspoken about her feelings on Trump, said: “He’s the president. I’m still not going to say his name. That’s not going to change.” Her co-host Sunny Hostin said she was “profoundly disturbed” by the result.
The British author Philip Pullman simply wrote: “Goodbye, America. It was nice knowing you.”
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage
