In a candid interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, celebrated actor Tom Hanks shared his insights on the potential re-election of former President Donald Trump, suggesting that it could signify setbacks in America’s progress towards its ideals. Speaking from Normandy, France, where he was present as President Biden honored the 80th anniversary of D-Day with military veterans, Hanks articulated his long-term view on the nation’s democratic journey.
“I think there’s always reason to be worried about the short term,” Hanks admitted, responding to a question about his concerns over the country’s “commitment to democracy and freedom” should Trump win in November. However, he remains hopeful about the broader historical context. “But I look at the longer term of what happened I think there’s an ongoing — look, our Constitution says, ‘We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union,’ — that journey to a more perfect union has missteps in it,” the 67-year-old actor explained.
The Oscar winner emphasized the resilience of American democracy and its ability to eventually align with justice and truth, despite temporary hurdles. “Over the long term, however, we inevitably made progress towards, I think, that more perfect union. And how does it come about? It comes about not because of somebody’s narrative of who was right, or who was a victim or not. It comes out of the slow melding of the truth to the actual practical life that we end up living,” he said.
Hanks also highlighted the importance of community and everyday kindness in fostering democratic values. “It comes down to the good deed that is practiced with your neighbor,” he continued, reinforcing his belief in the fundamental decency and corrective trajectory of U.S. society.
His faith in Western democracies remains unshaken. “I will always have faith that the United States of America, and the Western societies that have adopted more or less the same sort of democracy, cannot help but turn towards what is right,” Hanks asserted.
In addition to his acting career, Hanks has engaged with political themes directly through his support of the Biden administration. In 2022, he narrated a video highlighting the administration’s first-year achievements and hosted Biden’s prime-time inaugural TV special in 2021, further underscoring his active role in political discourse. Through his words and actions, Hanks conveys a message of enduring optimism for America’s democratic path, despite the challenges it faces.