Actor Richard Gere unleashed a pointed condemnation of President Trump on Tuesday at the Oslo Freedom Forum, calling him a “maniac” who dismantled American institutions from his first day back in office and warning the crowd of hundreds that the United States has descended into its darkest hour.
“Who ever thought America could turn like this? Whoever thought that a maniac like this would be president of the United States?” the 76-year-old “Pretty Woman” star told the audience gathered in Norway’s capital.
Mr. Gere was in Oslo to present the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent, an annual human rights award established in 2012 by the Human Rights Foundation to honor artists and activists who challenge authoritarian rule. This year’s recipients included Chinese contemporary artist Gao Zhen, who remains imprisoned in China on charges of insulting national heroes, and Sai, a dissident from Myanmar.
“We’re living in the darkest moment that I’ve experienced on this planet,” Mr. Gere told the audience. “First day, this guy dismantled almost everything that was good about the U.S. government and the U.S. people.”
The actor placed responsibility for Mr. Trump’s return to office squarely on voter apathy, including his own. “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, adding that he had not done enough to persuade voters against Mr. Trump.
Referencing a recent visit to the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, Mr. Gere drew a historical parallel and urged vigilance. “We have to see the cues — this dictatorship of the monsters — how quickly it happens,” he said.
It is not the first time the actor has publicly rebuked the president. In February 2025, Mr. Gere called Mr. Trump a “bully and a thug” while accepting a lifetime achievement award at Spain’s Goya Awards ceremony.
A longtime advocate for Tibetan human rights and a convert to Buddhism, Mr. Gere has frequently met with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader whom Beijing accuses of stoking separatism. He has lived in Spain since 2024 with his wife, Alejandra Silva.
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