Eastwood registered as a Republican to vote for
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and endorsed
Richard Nixon's
1968 and
1972 presidential campaigns. However, during the subsequent
Watergate scandal, Eastwood criticized Nixon's morality and later his handling of the Vietnam War, calling it "immoral".
[335][336]
Eastwood has disapproved of America's wars in Korea (1950–1953), Vietnam (1964–1975),
Afghanistan (2001–present), and
Iraq (2003–2011), believing that the United States should not be overly militaristic or play the role of global policeman.
[337][338][339] He has referred to himself as "...too individualistic to be either right-wing or left-wing,"
[340] describing himself in 1974 as "a political nothing" and "a moderate"
[335] and in 1997 as a "
libertarian."
[341]
"I don't see myself as conservative," Eastwood has stated, while noting
in the same breath that he is not "ultra-leftist," either.
[342] At times, he has supported
Democrats in California, including Senator
Dianne Feinstein in 1994,
[343][344][345] liberal
United States House of Representatives member
Sam Farr in 2002,
[346] and Governor
Gray Davis, whom he voted for in 1998 and 2002 and hosted pricey fundraisers for in 2002 and 2003.
[347]
A self-professed "liberal on civil rights,"
[335] Eastwood has stated that he is pro-choice on abortion.
[341] He has endorsed
same-sex marriage[342][348][349] and contributed to groups supporting the
Equal Rights Amendment for women, which failed to receive ratification in 1982.
[350]
In 1992, Eastwood acknowledged to writer David Breskin that his political views represented a fusion of
Milton Friedman and
Noam Chomsky and suggested that they would make for a worthwhile presidential ticket.
[351] In 1999, Eastwood stated, "I guess I was a
social liberal and
fiscal conservative before it became fashionable."
[352] Ten years later, in 2009, Eastwood said that he was now a registered
Libertarian.
[353]
Despite being heavily associated with firearms in his Westerns and
cop movies, Eastwood has publicly endorsed gun control since at least
1973. In the April 24, 1973, edition of
The Washington Post, the star said, "I'm for gun legislation myself. I don't hunt."
[354] Two years later, in 1975, Eastwood told
People magazine that he favors "gun control to some degree."
[355]
About a year later, Eastwood remarked that "All guns should be
registered. I don't think legitimate gun owners would mind that kind of
legislation. Right now the furor against a gun law is by gun owners who
are overreacting. They're worried that all guns are going to be
recalled. It's impossible to take guns out of circulation, and that's
why firearms should be registered and mail-order delivery of guns
halted."
[356] In 1993, he noted that he "...was always a backer" of the
Brady Bill, with its federally mandated waiting period.
[357] In 1995, Eastwood questioned the purpose of assault weapons.
Larry King, the television host and newspaper columnist, wrote in the May 22, 1995, edition of
USA Today
that "my interview with Eastwood will air on 'Larry King Weekend' ... I
asked him his thoughts on the NRA and gun control and he said that
while people think of him as pro-gun, he has always been in favor of
controls. 'Why would anyone need or want an assault weapon?' he said."
[358]
As a politician, Eastwood has made successful forays into both local
and state government. In April 1986, he won election as mayor (a
nonpartisan position) of his adopted hometown, Carmel-by-the-Sea,
California – a small, wealthy village and artists' community on the
Monterey Peninsula.
[359]
During his two-year term, Eastwood supported small business interests
while advocating environmental protection and constructing a library
annex, along with public restrooms, beach walkways, and a tourists'
parking lot.
[360][361] In 2001 Eastwood was appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission by Governor Davis,
[362] then reappointed in 2004 by Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
[362] As the vice chairman of the commission, in 2005 along with chairman
Bobby Shriver, he led the movement opposed to a six-lane 16-mile (26 km) extension of
California State Route 241, a toll road that would cut through
San Onofre State Beach. Eastwood and Shriver supported a 2006 lawsuit to block the toll road and urged the
California Coastal Commission to reject the project, which it did in February 2008.
[363] In March 2008 Eastwood and Shriver's non-reappointment to the commission on the expiry of their terms
[363] prompted the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to request a legislative investigation into the decision.
[364] Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Eastwood to the
California Film Commission in April 2004.
[365] He was a spokesman for
Take Pride in America, an agency of the
United States Department of the Interior which advocates taking responsibility for natural, cultural, and historic resources.
[366]
During the
2008 United States presidential election, Eastwood stated that he would be voting for
John McCain,
[367]
citing the fact that he had known McCain since he returned to the US in
1973 as a recently released POW. Eastwood said of McCain: "I met him
years ago when he first came back from Vietnam. This was back when
(Ronald) Reagan was the governor of California and he had a big function
for all of the prisoners of war who were released. I thought he was a
terrific guy, a real American hero." Nevertheless, Eastwood wished
Barack Obama well upon his subsequent victory saying, "Obama is my
president now and I am going to be wishing him the very best because it
is what is best for all of us."
[368]
Eastwood stated in 2010 of President Obama: "I think he's a nice fella
and I enjoyed watching him come along and I enjoyed watching him
campaign and win the job. But I'm not a fan of what he's doing at the
moment. ... I just don't think he's governing. I don't think he's
surrounded himself with the people he could have surrounded himself
with."
[369]
In August 2010, Eastwood wrote to the then British
Chancellor of the Exchequer,
George Osborne, to protest the decision to close the
UK Film Council, warning the closure could result in fewer foreign production companies choosing to work in the UK.
[370]
In January 2011, Eastwood told the UK's
Daily Mail
that "I loved the fact that Obama is multi-racial. I thought that was
terrific, as my wife is the same racial make-up. But I felt he was a
greenhorn, and it turned out he didn't have experience in
decision-making." As for McCain, Eastwood reflected, "I voted for
McCain, not because he was a Republican, but because he had been through
war (in Vietnam) and I thought he might understand the war in Iraq
better than somebody who hadn't. I didn't agree with him on a lot of
stuff."
[339] On August 3, 2012, he attended a fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate
Mitt Romney,
suggesting that Romney would boost the country and "restore a decent
tax system ... so that there's a fairness and people are not pitted
against one another as [to] who's paying taxes and who isn't."
[371] During a speech at the
2012 Republican National Convention, Eastwood
talked to an empty chair as if President Barack Obama were sitting in it.
[372][373][374]
The speech was met with a huge response by the media with both praise
and criticism. Eastwood, who said he came up with the speech 5 seconds
before he gave it, said that if he could do it again he would say
something different. "My only message was [that] I wanted people to take
the idolizing factor out of every contestant out there. Just look at
the work, look at the background, and then make a judgment on that. I
was just trying to say that, and did it in kind of a roundabout way
which took a lot more time, I suppose, than they would have liked. I'd
probably say something else but I'd try to get the same message across
so that people don't have to kiss up to politicians. No matter what
party they're in, you should evaluate their work and make your judgments
accordingly. That's the way to do it in life and every other subject,
but sometimes in America we get gaga, we look at the wrong values."
[375]
Based on his appearance and comments at the 2012 Republican National Convention, some see him as a right-wing poster boy.
[who?][citation needed]
However, Eastwood said he has always opposed war and is a pragmatic
Libertarian rather than a red-meat Republican. Eastwood further
explained his anti-war stance by saying "I was a child growing up during
World War II. That was supposed to be the one to end all wars. And four
years later, I was standing at the draft board being drafted during the
Korean conflict, and then after that there was Vietnam, and it goes on
and on forever … I just wonder … does this ever stop? And no, it
doesn't. So each time we get in these conflicts, it deserves a lot of
thought before we go wading in or wading out. Going in or coming out. It
needs a better thought process, I think." Furthermore, Eastwood's 2014
movie
American Sniper was met with strong critical praise,
especially from many Republicans who called it a pro-War on Terror,
pro-Republican, and patriotic film; Eastwood responded by saying that
such notions represented a "stupid analysis" and that the movie had
nothing to do with political parties.
[376] Eastwood responded to critics of
American Sniper
by saying his film was "the biggest anti-war statement any film can
make" and that "the fact of what [war] does to the family and the people
who have to go back into civilian life like Chris Kyle did" and "what
it (war) does to the people left behind."
[377]
In an interview with
Esquire that appeared in early August 2016, Eastwood discussed
Donald Trump
and how this generation, as he put it, is a "pussy generation." "All
these people that say, 'Oh, you can't do that, and you can't do this,
and you can't say that.' I guess it's just the times." Eastwood also
said that while he was not endorsing Donald Trump, he did see where he
was coming from at times, even though the filmmaker stated that the
candidate has said dumb things. "What Trump is onto is he's just saying
what's on his mind. And sometimes it's not so good. And sometimes it's …
I mean, I can understand where he's coming from, but I don't always
agree with it. I haven't endorsed anybody. I haven't talked to Trump. I
haven't talked to anybody. You know, he's a racist now because he's
talked about this judge. And yeah, it's a dumb thing to say. I mean, to
predicate your opinion on the fact that the guy was born to Mexican
parents or something. He's said a lot of dumb things. So have all of
them. Both sides. But everybody—the press and everybody's going, 'Oh,
well, that's racist," and they're making a big hoodoo out of it. Just
fucking get over it. It's a sad time in history.'" Eastwood also said,
when asked if he was still a Libertarian, that he was a little bit of
everything and that he wants this generation to get to work and be more
understanding instead of calling people names. "Kick ass and take
names," Eastwood said. When asked which candidate he would prefer
between Trump and Hillary Clinton, Eastwood replied, "That's a tough
one, isn't it? I'd have to go for Trump … you know, 'cause she's
declared that she's gonna follow in
Obama's
footsteps. There's been just too much funny business on both sides of
the aisle. She's made a lot of dough out of being a politician. I gave
up dough to be a politician. I'm sure that
Ronald Reagan gave up dough to be a politician.
[378]
However, in a subsequent interview with the
Los Angeles Times
that appeared a month later, Eastwood suggested that he would not
necessarily vote for Trump and instead appeared agnostic regarding the
2016 presidential election. The
Times' Rebecca Keegan asked, "So
when you say you’re not on either side of the aisle, does that mean
you’re not voting for Trump?" Eastwood replied, "I’m totally an enigma.
I’m just astounded. I hate to pick up the paper. I think both
individuals and both parties backing the individuals have a certain
degree of insanity."
[379]
Eastwood had declared in that interview, "I’m not on either side of
the aisle. I think most Americans are going, 'What the ... ? Is this all
we can do?' ... When there were 17 people on the stage [in the early
GOP debates], I thought, well, there are three or four people up there I
could see voting for. They seem pretty good. I had a few …. And then I
thought, what the hell happened?"
[379]
And in a red carpet interview with
Extra on September 8, 2016,
when asked about supposedly supporting Trump, Eastwood replied, "You
know, I haven't supported anybody, really," and suggested that Trump and
Clinton constituted a modern-day Abbott & Costello, referring to
the bumbling comedians of the 1940s and early 1950s.
[380]
