Actor Anthony Mackie Faces Backlash for Endorsing Trump

Actor Anthony Mackie endorsed Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump Monday during a promotional interview with BET for his new film Our Brand Is Crisis, and was immediately vilified online for being black and embracing conservative ideas.

Based on true events, Our Brand Is Crisis pits Mackie as as an assistant to Sandra Bullock’s character, “Calamity” Jane Bodine, who is hired to help a floundering Bolivian politician win a national election.

Mackie, who once played Tupac Shakur, and is known for major roles in We Are Marshall, The Hurt Locker, and the Captain America films, spoke in-depth with BET about his role in the film.

The star admits during the interview he’d never survive in the world of politics, but that did not stop him from endorsing a candidate.

BET asked the 37-year-old which candidate’s campaign he would run, Trump’s or Clinton’s, given his new insight into the world of politics.

“I would 100 percent want to run Trump’s campaign. 100 percent,” Mackie said. “I mean, first that’ll be the best party ever when he won, and second, Trump’s an easy sell.

“…Trump, he’s an easy sell because you can sell him as the guy who worked his way up from nothing,” added the actor. “And I think if you’re a ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ candidate, people would identify with that.”

Mackie was then asked, “Is this an endorsement for Trump, now?”

“I’m on the bandwagon,” he said with a smile. “I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.”

It wasn’t long before Mackie’s endorsement created a backlash on Twitter. Ira Madison, staff editor for New York Magazine, tweeted Monday:

https://twitter.com/ira/status/656151421637623808

Others also took to Twitter to criticize the actor:

https://twitter.com/anakincrywalker/status/656160835060940800

Mackie is no stranger to controversy. The star has been criticized this year for saying he encourages his nephew to avoid groupthink and refrain from wearing dreadlocks, in regards to acts of police violence and back males.

The actor was called a “house Negro,” among other unsavory things, for that comment, and another which was critical of dreadlocks.

Mackie also took heat for saying in January the civil rights era drama Selma performed poorly at this year’s Oscars because, “People are just tired of being bombarded with race right now,” and has been chastised for espousing traditional gender roles in relationships.