Michael Moore doubled down Thursday on his suggestion that the Democratic Party should run a celebrity in the 2020 presidential election, this time telling the co-hosts of The View that Tom Hanks would be a great candidate for the position.
In a sit-down on the ABC talk show Thursday morning, the left-wing documentary filmmaker and activist said Democrats should run a “beloved American” in the 2020 race, preferably a celebrity.
“The celebrities on our side, first of all, are smart,” Moore said. “If we ran Al Franken, run Tom Hanks… Who wouldn’t vote for Tom Hanks for President of the United States? Come on. Oprah!”
When View host Jedediah Bila pointed out that many Americans believe celebrities are out of touch with the needs of everyday Americans, Moore brushed her off.
“Wrong,” he countered. “We’re on TV right now. Americans love celebrities.”
Moore has been one of the president’s most frequent and outspoken celebrity critics; last week, he began previews for his one-man anti-Trump Broadway show, The Terms of My Surrender, which is expected to run through the end of the summer at Manhattan’s Belasco Theater.
During the campaign, Moore released a surprise anti-Donald Trump documentary, Michael Moore in TrumpLand, that was supposed to galvanize last-minute support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. However, an audio clip from the film in which Moore extolled the virtues of Trump’s candidacy was edited from the film and subsequently went viral online among Trump supporters.
This is not the first time Moore has urged the Democrats to run a celebrity in 2020. In June, the Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker suggested that actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might be a good candidate for the country’s highest office.
“Democrats always shy away from Hollywood, and I always say to them, ‘Really?’ Because out where I live, people love Hollywood!” he told Variety in an interview. “They love the movies. They love stars. The Republicans run Reagan, they run Schwarzenegger. Gopher from The Love Boat was elected to Congress in Iowa. They run Sonny Bono. Why don’t the Democrats run somebody that people love?”
Johnson, who has become a recognizable movie star in recent years due to roles in the Fast and Furious and G.I. Joe films, jokingly “announced” his presidential candidacy in 2020 during an appearance on Saturday Night Live this summer. Johnson was joined by Tom Hanks, who joined the “ticket” as Vice President.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum