Actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson was on an interview that has gone national, not because it is so good but because he holds nothing back and decided to take another shot at Vice President Kamala Harris. TMZe nailed Gibson on camera at Los Angeles International Airport, saying Harris has “the IQ of a fence post” and was lamenting her political track record as “miserable” and “appalling.” These comments come with the 2024 presidential election heating up-an already intense season in the political discourse among celebrities.
Context of the comments
Gibson made the comments following an Eminem rally in Detroit for Kamala Harris, where the rapper took to the stage to stress freedom of speech while encouraging his fans to vote. Eminem’s support for Harris contrasts greatly from Gibson’s apparent views and exposes a deep division within Hollywood ahead of the election. Many have taken to social media with words of support for Harris, but Gibson’s public critique places him in an ever-growing group of celebrities that publicly back Donald Trump.
Gibson’s statements affirm his ultra-conservative position of old, more often than not expressed through past actions and utterances. Pushed to declare on whose hands he would throw his vote, he declared Trump could most likely be his man, “I think that’s a pretty good guess”. Considering past incidents when Gibson was hobnobbing with the ultraright clique, including meetings with Trump himself, his endorsement of the tycoon is nothing out of the ordinary.
Celebrity endorsements: Who cares?
These two disparate endorsements by Eminem and Gibson really show how celebrities’ opinions matter in shaping public opinion during elections. Eminem’s rally called for people to get out and vote in Detroit, the key democrat area, while Gibson has used his comments to fire up the base for Trump among more conservative audiences. Their tactics vary on how celebrities can impact opinion among voters, particularly younger, arguably more impressionable voters.
Gibson’s stark assessment of Harris likely found a receptive audience among his political fellow travelers but likely inflamed her supporters. The use of inflammatory language – he called Harris’s intelligence comparable to a “fence post” overshadows any discussion about her policies or qualifications.
History context: Gibson’s controversy-filled past
Mel Gibson knows his fair share of controversies. Everything from anti-Semitic remarks upon the arrest for DUI in 2006 to leaked recordings featuring racist and misogynistic language has marred his career. He’s remained relevant to Hollywood through it all, much subdued as of late.
His criticism of Harris was indeed an echo of what Trump has held all along-ridiculing her intellect and qualification. This sort of continuity might suggest that Gibson does not always air his personal views but at times also draws from the broader narrative in conservative circles to undermine the credibility of Harris as a candidate.
The upcoming political landscape
With less than two weeks until the election on November 5, both campaigns are heating up and under increasing scrutiny. The polls have reflected a neck-and-neck race between Trump and Harris, with unpredictable support in a set of pivotal states. Announcement of high-profile celebrities such as Eminem for Harris and Gibson for Trump shows just how much weight public endorsements have carried for either party in terms of base excitement.
As the date of the election draws near, it remains anyone’s guess how these celebrity endorsements will, in fact, affect voter turnout and sentiment. What could be viewed by some as Gibson reaching for conservative support also runs a very real risk of turning off more moderate voters who may feel that this kind of rhetoric is excessive or divisive.
Read more: Kamala Harris’s attack on Donald Trump following John Kelly’s revelations: “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had”
Read more: Experts close to Kamala Harris are pressing Trump to release his medical records: “He shows alarming features of declining mental acuity”
