Actor Jeff Daniels has criticized President Donald Trump for sharing an AI-generated video that appeared to show him dumping excrement on demonstrators during recent nationwide protests.
Speaking with MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on Tuesday, the Dumb and Dumber and Good Night, and Good Luck star expressed disbelief that a U.S. president would promote such imagery. “Do we really have to treat people like that?” Daniels asked.
The controversial video, posted Saturday on Trump’s Truth Social account, depicted the president wearing a crown while piloting an aircraft and releasing brown liquid over crowds of protesters. The digitally altered clip was shared the same day as the No Kings Day demonstrations, which drew millions of Americans across the country calling for stronger protections for democracy and against political corruption.
“The meme that [Trump] had where he was flying with the crown and spewing excrement all over the people down below,” Daniels, 70, said, referencing the video. “Would Lincoln have done that?”
Wallace responded, “I don’t think Nixon would’ve done that,” to which Daniels agreed. “Nixon wouldn’t have done it. Reagan wouldn’t have done it. Bush wouldn’t have done it — either Bush.”
Daniels, who grew up in Michigan and founded a theater company there, said Trump’s behavior goes against the values of everyday Americans. “I think people in the Midwest, where I am … we value our decency and our civility,” he said. “We don’t get taken with whatever goes on on the coast. We got a chip on our shoulder about that.”
The Emmy-winning actor predicted that voters’ patience with Trump’s rhetoric and performance could wear thin if economic promises remain unfulfilled. “Down the road, if [Trump] doesn’t deliver on the economy like he promised he would, then that stuff will start to add up. And they’ll get tired of it, and they’ll vote for change,” he said.
Reflecting on the broader cultural moment, Daniels added, “Every generation changes things. Voters wanted things to get solved economically. But I think when it comes to decency and civility and respect for the rule of law, which governs all of us, whether we’re left or right, will matter again.”
To close the segment, Daniels performed a song he wrote inspired by the protests, titled Crazy World. Strumming a guitar, he sang, “This crazy world’s gone crazy. Who am I to judge? Nice to know in the world full of hate, there’s someone out there still making love.”
The actor’s remarks and performance struck a chord with viewers, many of whom praised his call for compassion and civility amid a deeply divided political climate.
