With some celebrities – you certainly don’t offend them – it’s hardly surprising that they support Donald Trump (78) as the new US president. On the contrary, stars like Kid Rock (53) and Hulk Hogan (71) proudly appeared at the Republican convention and are diligently campaigning for Trump. The fact that Dennis Quaid (70) recently took the lectern at a 78-year-old rally surprised and even horrified many of the actor’s fans. The question that has been raised ever since: Why does Quaid seem to stand up for beliefs that one of his best films contradicted so vehemently?
Born in Texas, influenced by Hollywood?
Dennis Quaid is a Texan, he was born in Houston. This fact alone increases the likelihood of voting for the Republicans. Along with Florida, Texas has been considered one of the largest and most stable strongholds of the “Grand Old Party” in recent decades – the Democrats were last able to win the majority of votes there in 1976.
Of course, the mere place of birth can only play a limited role in political orientation. Especially for a man who started his career in liberal Hollywood almost at the same time as the Democrats’ last election victory in Texas.
Even people in the dream factory who were once very familiar with Quaid are offended by his campaign performance for Trump. “Back to the Future” star Lea Thompson (63), for example, who had a relationship with Quaid in the 80s, reacted to X in horror: “I was once engaged to him,” she wrote on a video of Quaid’s speech and continued the hashtags “Vote Blue To Stop The Stupid” and “Crime Is Actually Down.”
Trump the new Reagan?
“I believe that Ronald Reagan’s principles and Donald J. Trump’s principles are very similar.” Dennis Quaid had already said this about a month before his appearance in a TV interview in defense of Trump’s approach. In fact, he had made positive comments about Trump and his policies several times in the past. But it was only after his campaign speech in California (which, by the way, is as solid a place for the Democrats as Texas is for the Republicans) that many fans apparently realized how serious he is about his support.
There he once again made the comparison between Reagan and Trump. Quaid, who can currently be seen in the biopic “Reagan” about the former US president in cinemas, explained that Reagan was his “favorite president of the 20th century”, while Trump was his “favorite president of the 21st century”.
From beloved to hated enemy
The part of Quaid’s speech that is likely to frustrate many of his fans: “It’s time to choose a side: Will we be a nation that stands for the Constitution or for TikTok? Will we be a nation with law and “Be order – or with borders wide open?” he asked the assembled audience.
Quaid is also fueling Trump’s myth that immigrants have recently caused a significant increase in crime. In reality, statistics show that the crime rate has fallen under Joe Biden – just as Quaid’s ex Lea Thompson stated in her post.
Around 40 years ago, Quaid himself fought vehemently against nasty prejudices. At least on the screen: In “Enemy Mine” from 1985, Quaid plays a space pilot who crashes on a strange planet with an enemy, reptilian alien. Despite visual and cultural differences, the two crash pilots learn over time that they are not so different after all. They begin to trust each other, to help each other, to like each other. They become friends.
Admittedly, at times the film resolutely tries to use kitsch to convey its message of tolerance and acceptance of foreign cultures to the audience. However, more subtle attempts currently seem to have no chance of success. Maybe Dennis Quaid and some other MAGA supporters should watch “Enemy Mine” again before heading to the voting booth on November 5th.
