Clint Eastwood endorses Bloomberg, citing 'ornery' politics
Max Berley
Hollywood legend and longtime Republican activist Clint Eastwood has endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president, saying he was tired of the "ornery" politics of Donald Trump.
"The best thing we could do is just get Mike Bloomberg in there," Eastwood said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Friday.
The prolific actor and director, 89, last made a foray into presidential politics in 2012, when he appeared at the Republican National Convention to endorse nominee Mitt Romney and did a mocking dialogue with Barack Obama, who was represented on stage by an empty chair.
(Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)
Eastwood, a registered Libertarian, never officially endorsed Donald Trump in 2016, but said he was "onto something" and "secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up."
But in the Journal interview, he lamented that "politics has gotten so ornery," adding that while he approves of "certain things that Trump's done," he wished the president would act "in a more genteel way, without tweeting and calling people names. I would personally like for him to not bring himself to that level."
The "Dirty Harry" star also served his time as a mayor. Eastwood led the wealthy enclave of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for two years, while Bloomberg served three terms as mayor of New York City.
Joe Biden also got a boost from a celebrity, when the actress and performer Cher appeared alongside him in Las Vegas after endorsing his candidacy earlier this week.
–With assistance from Jennifer Epstein.