Tim Robbins is strongly condemning conspiracy theorists attempting to link his 1992 political drama Bob Roberts to the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
Robbins wrote, directed and starred in the film, which chronicles the rise of a populist conservative politician running for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. In the film, the fictional Roberts stages being shot by an assassin, and surviving, in order to boost public support and win the election. Some on X have suggested that Trump similarly staged Saturday’s assassination attempt in order to boost his poll numbers, just like in the film Bob Roberts.
Robbins — a longtime progressive activist and no fan of Trump — stated on X: “To anyone drawing a parallel between my film Bob Roberts and the attempted assassination of Trump, let’s be clear. What happened yesterday was a real attempt on a presidential candidate’s life. Those that are denying the assassination attempt was real are truly in a deranged mindset. A human being was shot yesterday. Another killed. They may not be human beings that you agree with politically but for shame folks. Get over your blind hatred of these people. They are fellow Americans. This collective hatred is killing our souls and consuming whatever is left of our humanity.”
The message came hours before President Joe Biden did a rare address from the Oval Office where he pleaded for unity in the wake of the shooting, which resulted in the death of Trump rally-goer and the gunman, who has since been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
“Here in America, everyone must be treated with dignity and respect, and hate must have no safe harbor,” Biden said in the address. “Here in America, we need to get out of our silos where we only listen to those with whom we agree, where misinformation is rampant, where foreign actors fan the flames of our division to shape the outcomes consistent with their interests, not ours. … Our unity is the most elusive of goals right now. Nothing is more important for us now than standing together; we can do this. From the beginning, our founders understood the power of passion, so they created a democracy that gave reason and balance a chance to prevail over brute force. That’s the America we must be, an American democracy where arguments are made in good faith. An American democracy where the rule of law is respected. An American democracy where decency, dignity, fair play aren’t just quaint notions but living, breathing realities.”