Richard Gere is warning the Democratic Party as to what could happen when they stop paying attention.
When speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway on Tuesday, the 76-year-old actor reflected on the state of the United States and how it got there, noting, « we’re living in the darkest moment that I’ve experienced on this planet » under President Donald Trump.
« How is this even possible? Because we went to sleep. We didn’t care. We didn’t vote. We didn’t really listen, » he said. « Of course, I didn’t vote for this guy, but I didn’t do enough work to skillfully convince people around me, close to me, not close to me, that this was insane to elect this person as President of the United States. »
He went on to call President Trump a « maniac, » who has « dismantled almost everything that was good about the U.S. government and the U.S. people. » He admits that while the country « has never been a perfect place, » it has always been able to be « self-corrective. »
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Later in his monologue, Gere reflected on his recent visit to the concentration camp Dachau, using it as a warning for « how quickly our world can be taken from us if we fall asleep, » urging everyone to « see the cues. »
« We can’t sit back and go, ‘Ah, life is good. I’m fine. You know, I’ve got food. I got money. Blah blah blah. I got my house. I got another car. I’m thinking about this. I’m OK. I know he’s a bad guy, but it’s OK,' » Gere said. « But it’s not OK. It’s not OK. It’s never OK. »
« We have to see the cues, this dictatorship of the monsters, how quickly it happens, » he added. « We have to be vigilant. »
The « Pretty Woman » actor previously spoke to Variety in December 2025, after hearing the Dalai Lama, who he called a close friend, speak.
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He told Variety that the experience made him think about how the United States was on the « very wrong track, » adding he doesn’t know how anyone could explain what President Trump « has done to this country » or « what it feels like to be an American now, » calling it « astonishing. »
« If we want a world a certain way, then we have to elect leaders who have a similar vision to us and will lead us towards this higher level of possibility — who we are as individuals and how we can create a world, a society where people can live with each other rather than this battlefield every day, all day long, with the craziness, » Gere said. « Especially, as I say, coming from this very crude mentality that is now in our leadership. »
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Gere and his wife, Alejandra Silva, moved to Spain at the end of 2024, with the actor telling Vanity Fair Spain that he thought of the move as « a great adventure » because he had never lived outside the United States.
He explained that the move was good for his wife, because « her family, her lifelong friends and her culture » are there, and it was a good trade-off since « she was very generous in giving me six years living in my world. »
When speaking with the Daily Mail in April 2025, Silva explained that the move is not permanent, noting « For a few years [we’ll live in Spain], and then come back. But we’re always coming back. »
« I’m with my family… I missed them a lot. But I miss the U.S. So we come back and forth, » she told the outlet.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/richard-gere-says-us-darkest-moment-hes-experienced
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Publish date : 2026-06-05 20:41:00
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