Robert Redford: Trump 'degrades everything he touches,' but impeachment isn't the answer
Robert Redford slammed President Trump — without ever mentioning him by name. The 82-year-old actor voiced his disappointment in the current state of politics in an op-ed for the Washington Post, titled, “We must defend our democracy — and not by impeachment.”
“I’m watching today’s so-called American leaders with a mix of outrage and despair over what is happening right under our noses,” he begins. “And yet, I keep reminding myself that as a country, we have weathered these challenges before — we have gone to the edge, to the very brink of chaos, and at the last moment pulled back toward principles we still share.”
Redford ponders if we can do it again. Although he doesn’t name-drop Trump, Redford makes it clear he’s frustrated with the “president” and calls out Mitch McConnell specifically.
“It is painfully clear we have a president who degrades everything he touches, a person who does not understand (or care?) that his duty is to defend our democracy,” he writes. “Meanwhile, those who should be providing the balance our Founding Fathers intended, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are instead choosing partisan politics, blind loyalty and extreme, outdated ideologies.”
The Oscar-winning director calls on citizens to fix this, declaring the electoral process “our most powerful tool.”
“We must not be distracted from the opportunity we have in 2020 to reject hatred and division and choose civility and progress,” he states. “Let’s not talk about impeachment or put all our hopes on the special counsel: The former is mired in Washington politics, and the latter will be once the report is released. Let’s stay focused on taking back our country with the power of our votes.”
In order to “rescue our democracy,” Redford believes it’s time to “focus energy early and consistently on the right candidates and issues,” both locally and nationally.
“I’m not satisfied any longer simply waiting for justice to be served. I’m determined to fight for it, now and for the next two years, inspired by newer and younger voices picking up the cause,” he concludes. “There is so much damage to heal from, so much division to repair, so many good works to return to. What a worthy fight to engage in, don’t you think?”
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
