The 'Wedding Crashers' star breaks his silence on a viral clip that landed in hot water earlier this year as he was spotted shaking hands with the 74-year-old president at a college football game.
- November 16, 2020
AceShowbiz - Vince Vaughn has finally broken his silence after receiving backlash for getting chummy with Donald Trump earlier this year. The 50-year-old actor took the heat after footage surfaced of him chatting with the president and First Lady Melania Trump before shaking hands with Trump at the college football national championship game in January.
Many months later, in a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, "The Break-Up" star clears the air regarding his friendly gesture with the 45th POTUS. Denying his friendly gesture was a sign of endorsement, he says that he actually backed Rand Paul in the 2016 election rather than his seatmate.
"The only candidate I ever supported is Ron Paul," he explains, referring to the former Libertarian presidential nominee. "I don't have a party that I support and endorse. In fact, for me sometimes it's difficult to find a candidate that you feel is philosophically consistent and not just going along with whoever is funding their particular party. That's as much as I'll get into at this point."
"In my career I've met a lot of politicians who I've always been cordial to," he claims. "I've met Nancy Pelosi and was cordial to her as well. It was the only time I've ever met him. We said hello. He was very personable. I didn't get into policies."
Acknowledging the criticism leveled at him at the time, Vaughn continues, "I think people are more charged than ever about these things. But I don't think most people take that stuff as seriously as the small percentage that's making noise about it."
He, however, respects those who disagree with him, adding, "I was raised with the idea that you could have different likes and beliefs and you should respect and defend that in other people, not shout it down. The people you disagree with the most, you should stand up for their right to do that."
In the video shared on Twitter, Vaughn seemed engrossed in conversation with Trump while the First Lady, who sat between them, was largely quiet. Following their catch-up session, he shook hands with the president before leaving his seat.
