Spike Lee: Trump will ‘go down in history with likes of Hitler’
The director received a special award for his short film, 'New York, New York'
In a speech on Sunday, Spike Lee said Donald Trump will “go down in history with the likes of Hitler.”
Lee was honored for his short film, New York, New York, at the New York Film Critics Awards on Sunday. Lee, who filmed his speech on Jan. 6, the day of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, used his moment to speak to the time we are currently living through in American history.
Read More: Spike Lee says he has ‘more joints to make’ as he accepts American Cinematheque honor
He explained, “You know what, we are living in a very serious time in America. All of us as true Americans have to really think about what’s important…there’s no way possible to go before the iPhone and thank you guys without telling you what’s in my heart and soul as a descendent of slaves who helped build this country.”
He went on to call Jan. 6, “a very sad day in the history of America.”
He further explained, “The whole world is laughing at the United States of America, the so-called cradle of democracy.” He then urged people to recognize the moment we are in and to stay safe.
“We’re at a crossroads now, and everybody please be safe. This is not a game. These people got guns with ammunition. I hope to God that I’m wrong, but people are gonna get killed behind this bullshit. This president, President Agent Orange [Donald Trump], will go down in history with the likes of Hitler. These guys — all his boys — they’re going down on the wrong side of history,” he said.
Read More: Spike Lee says Trump has blood on his hands: ‘That’s going to be part of his legacy’
This isn’t the first time Lee has been openly critical of Trump. Lee recently spoke with theGrio about Trump’s influence on the pandemic in the U.S.
“One of the legacies of Agent Orange is that when the final numbers total, a large part of that number is going to be blood on his hands. Those are Americans. Our fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, relatives, friends did not have to die. That’s going be part of his legacy. So everybody, please be safe. This is not a hoax, it’s not a joke. This is real AF,” he said.
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