Jon Voight, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, wants his opponents to “calm down” upon the president-elect’s victory.
“I was deeply pleased by the election,” he told The Hollywood Reporter at Thursday’s world premiere of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. “To those people who are heartsick, I felt the same way when Mitt Romney lost. Just calm down, let not your heart be troubled, this man is going to be a wonderful president.”
Predicted Voight: “We’re going to see results very quickly. People need jobs in this country and that’s one thing he’s gonna address immediately, taking some of the pressure off small businesses and middle class, and let the economy flourish a little bit. We need it desperately.”
Voight called out fellow celebrities, including Robert De Niro, in October with a Twitter tirade, condemning his peers who were criticizing the Republican candidate and calling former supporters “Republican turncoats.”
“He’s a very clever guy,” the actor continued to THR of Trump. “There’s a lot we’re gonna learn about him, and it’s all gonna be positive, as far as I’m concerned.”
Voight added that he has faith in Trump’s ability to fill his cabinet with qualified advisers. “If you listen to the propaganda about him, you never get to the real Donald,” he said. “You have to feel heartened that this is a very, very smart man who chooses the people around him very wisely and knows how to assign responsibility.”
Regarding the criticisms about Trump’s treatment of women, Voight added that the president-elect “hires more women than almost anybody else in his business and puts them in leadership positions, not just because they’re women but because they’re the most qualified for the job.”
He concluded with sincerity: “Take it easy. I feel for you because I’ve been there, too. But we’re gonna work through this because we’re all Americans, and it’s gonna be a good time, these next four years.”
