Donald Trump pays tribute to Robert Redford: “There was nobody better”
President Donald Trump has honoured the late acting icon Robert Redford, declaring, “There was nobody better”.
Cindi Berger, the chief executive of the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan PMK, announced Redford’s death on September 16th, confirming the 89-year-old died in “the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved” in Utah and stated that he “will be missed greatly”.
Additionally, a handwritten note was later posted on Redford’s Instagram page, which reads, “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Robert Redford. In honour of his legacy, his Instagram account will be deleted.”
Stars of the screen such as Jane Fonda, Ron Howard, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, and Colman Domingo have all paid tribute to the Oscar-winner in recent hours.
Trump also addressed the subject before his state visit to the United Kingdom. After being informed by reporters about Redford dying at home with his loved ones, he responded, “Well, it’s a good way to go, I guess.”
The US President continued: “Robert Redford was great. He had a series of years where there was nobody better.”
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Trump was then probed about his favourite film starring Redford. Rather than providing a direct answer, he vaguely responded, “You have a lot of them. He made seven or eight great films. There was a period when he was the hottest.”
Redford, who was a Democrat, initially believed Trump could shake-up the political landscape when he announced his run for president in 2015, telling Larry King, “I’m glad he’s in there because him being the way he is, and saying what he says the way he says it, I think shakes things up and I think that’s very needed.”
While Redford’s comments weren’t meant to be an endorsement, Trump took to Twitter to write, “Wow! Such nice words from Robert Redford on my running for President. Thank you, Robert.”
Throughout Trump’s first term, Redford was critical of his spell in office, and told NBC News in 2019, “We’re up against a crisis I never thought I’d see in my lifetime: a dictator-like attack by President Donald Trump on everything this country stands for.”
No cause of death has been revealed following Redford’s passing. The acting great is survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and his two surviving children, Shauna and Amy, from his previous marriage to Lola Van Wagenen.
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