“A pussy generation”: How Donald Trump led Clint Eastwood into a public feud with Flea
Whichever way you spin it, Clint Eastwood has had an incredible effect on the history of Hollywood and American cinema. As an actor and director, Eastwood has produced some of the most iconic works in film history, most notably his appearances in western films like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. However, Eastwood is not a universally beloved figure within the industry, owing to some questionable behaviour over the years, usually pertaining to his staunch political beliefs and repeated support of the Republican party.
Although he now identifies as a libertarian, Eastwood had previously been an unwavering supporter of the Republican party for decades. The director became more outspoken about his republican views during his later years, particularly following the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. Eastwood was not ambiguous in his detesting of the democratic leader, going so far as to berate an empty chair meant to represent the then-president at the Republican National Convention in 2012.
Inevitably, when the 2016 presidential election rolled around, Eastwood was never going to voice his support for Hilary Clinton. Although he never formally endorsed republican candidate Donald Trump, he did voice his approval for many of Trump’s policies around the time of the election. Speaking to Esquire at the time, he shared, “I haven’t endorsed anybody. I haven’t talked to Trump.” However, he did add, “He’s onto something.”
Trump certainly managed to capitalise on the fears of many conservatives during the presidential election, highlighting and weaponising many culture war issues to discredit the Democratic Party. “Secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up,” he said at the time, “That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a pussy generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells.”
Eastwood’s main qualm with the current state of America, it would appear, is the fact that people are called out – or, as Eastwood put it, “accused” – for expressing racist beliefs. “He’s said a lot of dumb things,” he said of Trump, “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.”
Unsurprisingly, Eastwood’s comment made quite a stir when they were published back in 2016. In the wake of that interview, many prominent figures called Eastwood out for his regressive views, including Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. Although he might not be the most obvious political commentator, having built a name for himself playing bass in a California rock band, usually without clothes on, Flea has never shied away from voicing his political views when asked.
So, in response to Eastwood’s claims in the Esquire interview, Flea took to Twitter to voice his approval. In a since-deleted post, the bassist wrote, “Hey Clint Eastwood, count me in as a pussy, as we aspire to evolve above racism.”
Flea had previously been outspoken about his support for Bernie Sanders, who was one of the prospective presidential candidates for the democratic party at the time. His comments, aimed at Eastwood – who does not have any social media presence, on Twitter or elsewhere – made no secret about his disapproval of Donald Trump.
Eastwood never responded to Flea’s post—again, the man is not on social media—but the incident does form one of the more unexpected feuds the director has ever become involved in. There is no shortage of people who dislike Eastwood, either for his political beliefs or actions in the film industry, but the Chili Peppers’ bassist is probably among the most rogue figures to appear in a list of Eastwood’s enemies.
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