Hollywood's- or America's- Heir to David Duke

What, was David Duke unavailable?

JUST IN: Trump announces Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight, will be Special Ambassadors to Hollywood, California.

Trump says he is calling on the men to kickstart "The Golden Age of Hollywood."

"They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing… pic.twitter.com/qu0Xb4plDj

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 16, 2025

 

While many prominent Republicans such as Lauren Boebert complain about "Hollywood elites"

President-elect Trump is leaning on some of his famous friends to influence Hollywood, tapping actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as “special ambassadors” to the entertainment industry.

In a Truth Social post, Trump called Hollywood a “great but very troubled place” and claimed it was losing business to foreign countries.

“These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!” Trump posted.

Voight has been a longtime Trump supporter and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2019. He likened Trump’s 2020 election defeat to the “greatest fight since the Civil War.”

Stallone during the 2024 campaign compared Trump to the “second George Washington” and introduced Trump during a postelection gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Gibson has caused controversy for making racist and antisemitic comments. He has supported Trump in the past and ridiculed Vice President Harris’s intelligence during the 2024 campaign.

In June, 2020 actress Winona Ryder accused Gibson of having

referred to her as an "oven dodger" in an apparent reference to her Jewish background.

Gibson's representative said Ryder's allegations, which she made in 2010 and repeated in a recent interview with The Sunday Times, were "100% untrue".

Ryder responded by asserting again that she and a late friend had been "on the receiving end of his hateful words".

The Stranger Things actress described the alleged encounter as "a painful and vivid memory".

Ryder first made the claims in an interview with GQ in 2010. She told this weekend's Sunday Times: "We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get Aids?'

"And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'"

Ryder, 48, said Gibson, 64, had tried to apologise to her at a later date.

The Braveheart star's representative disputed Ryder's version of events, however, accusing her of "lying" about both the alleged comments and apology.

Gibson, he claimed, "did reach out to [Ryder], many years ago, to confront her about her lies and she refused to address it with him".

Ryder responded by offering more details, including that the encounter occurred "around 1996"….

It is not the only time Gibson has been accused of using the offensive term, which alludes to the mass murder of Jews in Nazi death camps during World War Two.

In 2012 screenwriter Joe Eszterhas accused the actor of using it while they were working on a film about Jewish hero Judah Maccabee.

Gibson, who made widely documented anti-Semitic comments when he was arrested for drink-driving in 2006, called Eszterhas's claims "utter fabrications".

 Oh yea, sure.  When the Passion of the Christ was all the rage in 2014, The National Catholic Reporter (not my usual source, but when right, they are right) explained

Gibson made a film that confirmed many stereotypes of the Jews, such as depicting the moment when the bag of silver was tossed to Judas in slow motion and Judas looked at it lovingly; the "bad" Jewish men with fang-like teeth and the "good guys" with nice teeth; the sneering hatred from the high priest when he questions Jesus; and Pilate calling the Jews "filthy rabble." Certainly not the first to do so, Gibson uses stereotypes, some more subtle than others, to create a group of "bad" Jews to confront the "good" Jews consisting of Jesus, Mary and their followers who would be thought of as aligned with Christians today.

As a non-actor, David Duke wasn't available for appointment as a "special ambassador" for Hollywood. And the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and prominent anti-Semite has drifted out of the public sphere since he controversially supported Trump's presidntial bid in 2016 and was crushed in a U.S. Senate bid.  Appointment of Mel Gibson for anything by Donald Trump is only one more reminder of the latter's embrace of bigotry at practically every turn. So it is striking that in his victory speech upon defeating Duke in the Louisiana gubernatorial election in 1991, Democrat Edwin Edwards appeared to anticipate the last decade of national politics in remarking

Prophecy is reserved for those who are given that special gift, which I do not possess. But I say to all of America tonight, there will be other places and other times where there will be other challenges by other David Dukes. They too will be peddling bigotry and division as their elixir of false hope, they too will be riding piggyback on the frustration of citizens disaffected by government … We must address the causes of public disenchantment with government at every level … Tonight Louisiana defeated the darkness of hate, bigotry and division, but where will the next challenge come from? Will it be in another campaign in Louisiana? Or in a campaign for governor in some other state? Or a campaign for president of the United States?

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That's One Clever Dog Whistle

Politico reports that at an appearance in Roanoke in southwestern Virginia

Rep. Paul Ryan pledged Friday night that House Republicans will investigate President Barack Obama’s deal to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

At an after-dinner speech on the eve of Virginia’s GOP state convention, the former vice presidential nominee urged activists to unite behind Senate candidate Ed Gillespie as their best hope for advancing a conservative agenda.

For now, he said, the Senate is a “graveyard of good ideas” and Republicans must focus on aggressive oversight as their best bet to hold Obama accountable.

“I’m part of the IRS investigation,” Ryan told about 600 people in a ballroom at the Hotel Roanoke. “We’ve got the Benghazi investigation, the Veterans Affairs investigation, and we’re going to do an investigation about this troop transfer with the Taliban. So we’ve got a lot on our plate.”

The Wisconsin congressman said the country would start to turn the corner if Sen. Harry Reid became minority leader, stressing that Republican unity is key to make that happen.

“We agree on the same principles. We actually all agree on the same policies … Every now and again we disagree on tactics,” he said. “So it’s very important that as a party we put those differences aside, we put them in perspective, and like Mel Gibson said in that great movie ‘Braveheart,’ ‘we need to unite the clans!’”

According to Politico reporter James Hohmann, the former Repub vice-presidential nominee was referring to clans.  But he could as easily have been referring to Klans.

Gibson has engaged in a few tirades exposing his religious bigotry, misogyny, or profound passion for profanity. Nonetheless, probably his most famous outburst occurred when, in 2006

he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway and told he was to be detained for drunk driving Friday morning in Malibu. The actor began swearing uncontrollably. Gibson repeatedly said, "My life is f****d." Law enforcement sources say the deputy, worried that Gibson might become violent, told the actor that he was supposed to cuff him but would not, as long as Gibson cooperated. As the two stood next to the hood of the patrol car, the deputy asked Gibson to get inside. Deputy Mee then walked over to the passenger door and opened it. The report says Gibson then said, "I'm not going to get in your car," and bolted to his car. The deputy quickly subdued Gibson, cuffed him and put him inside the patrol car.

TMZ has learned that Deputy Mee audiotaped the entire exchange between himself and Gibson, from the time of the traffic stop to the time Gibson was put in the patrol car, and that the tape fully corroborates the written report.

Once inside the car, a source directly connected with the case says Gibson began banging himself against the seat. The report says Gibson told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The report also says "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson's tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f*** do you think you're doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

We're told Gibson took two blood alcohol tests, which were videotaped, and continued saying how "f****d" he was and how he was going to "f***" Deputy Mee.

This does not appear to have been an isolated incident.  In April, 2012 the website thewrap.com published a nine-page letter written to the actor/screenwriter/producer/director by screenwriter Joe Ezterhas who had written for Gibson a screenplay about Judah Maccabee. At the time, CNN's Josh Levs found

"I've come to the conclusion that the reason you won't make 'The Maccabees' is the ugliest possible one. You hate Jews." He recounts Gibson repeatedly using derogatory epithets for Jewish people.

Allegations of anti-Semitism are nothing new for Gibson. Concerns that arose among some Jewish groups over his handling of the story of Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ" in 2004 were replaced by widespread condemnations two years later when Gibson was arrested on a drunk driving charge. According to a police report, he asked the arresting officer if he was Jewish and said, "F***ing Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

Gibson later apologized without acknowledging specific remarks.

Eszterhas is a veteran of the industry, having penned such titles as "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls."

In his letter, he writes that he hoped Gibson viewed the Maccabees project "as a kind of penance/apologia" -- a claim Gibson denies in his response.

Eszterhas says that soon after he began working with Gibson on it, he became "increasingly worried that I'd made a grave mistake by hooking up with you."

It was not immediately clear how thewrap.com obtained Eszterhas' letter.

In discussing Jewish people, Gibson regularly used the terms "Hebes," "oven-dodgers," and "Jew-boys," Eszterhas alleges. "You said most 'gatekeepers' of American companies were 'Hebes' who 'controlled their bosses.'"

"You said the Holocaust was 'mostly a lot of horsesh*t,'" the letter says, adding that Gibson made various false accusations, including that the Torah refers to sacrificing Christian babies.

The most intriguing, though completely overlooked, portion of Gibson's alleged remarks involved the then-head of the Roman Catholic Church.  Representative Ryan is a disciple of Ayn Rand, a proud libertarian and atheist. He also always has portrayed himself- as has a largely friendly mainstream media- as a devout and devoted Roman Catholic and Christian After singing during a Baptist service, he reportedly told a  minister “I’m Catholic, but I’m cool with that. I’m so goofy with that stuff. It’s just not my thing. I’m Catholic!”

But according to Levs, Ezterhas maintained that Gibson  "called Pope John Paul II 'the anti-Christ' and 'the devil.'"

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine," Rick says to Sam in Casablanca (video, below).  Of all the actors in all the movies in American cinema, Mel Gibson is quoted by Paul Ryan.

The Wisconsin congressman, who enjoys posing as a friend of the poor while advocating policies to wipe them out, may not have an authentic bone in his body. But Mel Gibson, partly on the strength of "The Passion of the Christ," an anti-Semitic movie its fans erroneously believe faithful to the biblical account, is a favorite with much of the GOP base. And when Paul Ryan- reportedly contemplating a run for the 2016 presidential nomination- speaks to a conservative Republican audience, he certainly knows how to blow that dog whistle.

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Mel Gibson, At It Again

He's at it again! Yes, it's Mel Gibson who, in July, 2006 was arrested for Driving Under the Influence in Malibu, California referred to "f****** Jews," and told the Jewish arresting officer, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" and "are you a Jew?"

After successfully completing a three-year term of probation, the celebrated actor convinced a judge in October to expunge the record of his arrest. However, Gibson's character was on display in an interview recently held to promote his newest film, Edge of Darkness. CNN reports (video below)

In a video that has now gone viral, Gibson let an expletive slip while he was still wearing a microphone and appearing on camera for a segment on Chicago's WGN-TV with reporter Dean Richards.

Richards asked Gibson if he felt like he was "a different person, a better person," than he was four or five years ago, noting that the actor has "had a lot of ups and downs" since then....

During the interview with Richards, Gibson responded that the past few years have been "a real roller coaster ride," but said he thinks he's the same person he always was.

Richards then asked Gibson if he felt the public would receive him differently, at which point Gibson became visibly agitated.

"That's been almost four years, dude," he told Richards. "I've moved on. But I guess you haven't." Richards said he just wondered whether Gibson thought the public had moved on, to which Gibson replied, "Well, I certainly hope so. That was a while back, and I've done all the necessary mea culpas, so ... let's move on, dude."

Richards wrapped up the interview with a standard thank-you-for-coming, and Gibson, drinking coffee, gave the reporter a thumbs-up before muttering a loud-and-clear "a--hole" right into his mic before the satellite feed was cut.

Shortly before this incident, Gibson had been asked by Sam Rubin, a reporter with a CNN affiliate, about the impact of the earlier anti-Semitic comments on his absence from acting. Gibson denied the remarks and asked "I gather you have a dog in this fight?" (for which he later apologized).

At the time, Gibson blamed his behavior in the drunken driving incident on alcoholism. That episode, as well as Gibson's most recent remark, suggests a distaste for Jews, which may or may not be connected with his apparent membership in the extremist, Roman Catholic offshoot Opus Dei.

This is not a mere PC problem, and goes far beyond Rahm Emanuel's recent use of the word "retarded" (combined with an obscenity). It's not only anti-Semitism with Gibson; it may also be something more common, but more intrinsic to his personality. On his blog, Richards wrote

You've probably seen the interview by now. It was pleasant enough for the first half but as my questions became more challenging, his tone and even physical demeanor changed. I asked about his 7 year absence. I asked if he is a changed person as a result of the time off that he described. When I asked if the he thought the public would perceive him differently, that's when the tide really turned.

He used his stock "I've gotten past all that, you should too, dude" line that I heard him use on other reporters who dared to ask a tough question. He clearly became angry and confrontational. That was not my hope. I just wanted to learn what he had learned since his troubles.

"I've gotten past all that, you should too, dude." "Let's move on, dude." Gibson wasn't physically present for his interview with the WGN reporter, but those remarks are all too consistent with his behavior in 2006 at the scene and at the police station. Without delving into psychobabble, this is a rude, belligerent bully (probably the major parallel to Emanuel). Richards explained

I didn't brow beat him. I didn't make a judgment on him. I didn't dredge out all of the details of his "incidents" until he pretended like he didn't know what I was talking about and asked me what I meant. Apparently, he thought I'd back off.

It may not be surprising that Gibson figures he's entitled to such behavior. Reuters reported

In the incident in 2006, "Gibson was permitted to leave the sheriff's station in Malibu without providing a palm print or signing a statement promising to appear in court as required. A sheriff's sergeant also gave Gibson a ride to a tow yard to retrieve his car without clearing with it station commanders."

Sheriff's officers were disciplined, but California politicians got the message. Powerful celebrities in Hollywood are not to be trifled with. Wikipedia reports

As a result of the circumstances surrounding Gibson’s arrest, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, proposed legislation ("Mel's Law") that would criminalize the sale of privileged information pertaining to the arrests of high-profile suspects. The lawmaker argued that Mel Gibson's due process rights were violated by the unauthorized leak of prejudicial allegations before he had received due process. Bill AB920 was approved unanimously by both the California state assembly in May 2007 and the state senate in September 2007, and the bill was signed into law by the governor in October 2007.

Privilege will be served. Under pressure, Rahm Emanuel apologizes, and the White House scurries about to satisfy the demands of the Special Olympics folks. Whether there is a similar reaction to Mel Gibson, a serial offender, we'll find out in the next several days.