Actor Henry Winkler’s reaction to claims that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump borrowed lines from the film “Legally Blonde” is taking over the internet. On Tuesday, the Happy Days and Barry star reposted a video from TikTok user @maya2960 on X, formerly known as Twitter. The clip compared snippets from the final scene of the 2001 comedy “Legally Blonde” and a Trump commencement speech from 2017.
In the “Legally Blonde” extract, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) delivers her valedictorian speech during her graduation from Harvard Law School. “As we take our next step into the world, it is with passion, courage of conviction, and, most importantly, have faith in yourself,” Elle tells her fellow graduates. “We did it.”
The speech was juxtaposed with Trump’s 2017 commencement speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The video begins with, “You must go forth into the world,” followed by Trump saying “passion”—although the actual line was “pouring his passion into a tiny college,” referring to Liberty University’s former chief financial officer and vice president, George Rogers. “Courage and your conviction,” Trump says next, followed by “Most importantly, be true to yourself.”
The video concludes by comparing Elle’s “We did it,” with Trump saying “I did it.” Alongside the juxtaposed clips, @maya2960 added footage of herself laughing at the similarities in the speeches. “We like the same films,” Winkler, best known as The Fonz/Fonzie in Happy Days, captioned the post.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to the post, telling Newsweek: “Who is Harry Wankler?” The 78-year-old actor’s post also sparked mixed reactions among X users. Some praised the video, with one user calling the clip, “Hilarious.” “Once a thief always a thief,” commented @Deborah66134129. “They need to put him in JAIL, if he was one of us he would be there right now,” Donald McNeill added. “You are such a good and kind man,” wrote Thomas Murphy. “So happy to see you involved in the happenings of today.”
However, Trump supporters criticized the sitcom star for sharing the video. “You realize there’s only so many things you can say in a graduation speech, right?” posted @Cornholio2025. “Dude, the first time Fonzie put on a dress I was done with you,” wrote J T, while Susie M Mack commented: “TRUMP2024!!!”
Winkler is a vocal critic of Trump. During an appearance on MSNBC in 2017, the actor said the Republican politician was “completely self-obsessed,” adding that, “His life’s bread, his life’s blood is the sound of appreciation or adulation.” In 2021, Winkler compared Trump to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on Twitter, seemingly suggesting the former president should be assassinated. “TRUMP is exactly like MUSSOLINI .. his term should end that way,” Winkler wrote. The tweet was deleted shortly afterward.
A longtime liberal, Winkler joined other Happy Days stars, including Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham, in 2020 for a virtual reunion on behalf of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. On Monday, Winkler reposted X users praising Biden’s decision to end his 2024 presidential bid. The 81-year-old leader dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination, following calls from celebrities and party members concerned about his age and cognitive fitness. The president has instead endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. “An actual hero,” read one post shared by Winkler about Biden, while another described him as “a leader putting his country ahead of any personal interest or ambition.”