Richard Gere just lit a match and tossed it straight into the MAGA bonfire, and judging by the fury erupting across social media, he hit exactly the nerve he intended
The 75-year-old actor turned heads this week at the 10th anniversary charity dinner for NGO Open Arms in Barcelona, where he showed up with his wife, Alejandra Silva, ready to celebrate humanitarian work.
The event at Llotja del Mar drew an impressive crowd. But leave it to Gere to turn a solidarity gathering into a political flashpoint about the Unites that would dominate headlines for days.
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The “Pretty Woman” star didn’t waste time with diplomatic niceties when asked if he was “worried.”
“We have a president who’s completely … he’s not only crazy, he’s a dark, dark presence,” Gere said t to Europa Press, t outlet, his words cutting through any pretense of Hollywood politesse.
“And this happened so quickly: six months. He’s almost destroyed our country,” he added.
Actor Richard Gere on Donald Trump: “We have a president who’s not only crazy, he’s a dark, dark presence. And it’s happened so quickly. Six months, he’s almost destroyed our country” pic.twitter.com/OcpgA1EIRC
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) October 2, 2025
Sporting a ribbon bearing the Palestinian flag, Gere expanded his critique beyond American borders, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down immediately.
“He has to go. This is not someone who can change,” the star added, “He has to go, and all the enablers in the coalition that he has together, they all have to go.”
The internet, predictably, lost its collective mind.
“The old and aging actor does not live in the US. He lives in Spain. What does he care?” one user shot back, weaponizing Gere’s relocation as evidence of alleged hypocrisy.
MAGA faithful rushed to defend their political champion, with one crowed, “TRUMP is Doing EXACTLY what we THE PEOPLE Voted For!”
Perhaps the sharpest dig came from someone who sneered, “No, Richard….he’s almost destroyed life for globalist elites like you!”
But the responses weren’t uniformly hostile, as many felt he made a good point. “The Legendary Richard Gere is right on point,” said one person, while another added, “Richard Gere is spot on Trump’s chaos really did tear the country apart in record time.”
Some observers shared Gere’s alarm, with one person warning, “You haven’t seen anything yet. This is just a prelude.”
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Another commenter broadened the indictment beyond just one man: “It’s not just Trump. He couldn’t do it alone. I don’t know why people don’t name and shame more of the complicit folks in Congress and in the Supreme Court that literally hand him the tools to enable him to destroy our country. It’s all of them! There is no opposition party.”
Gere has plenty of company in Tinseltown when it comes to challenging the current administration. Hollywood has transformed into something of a resistance headquarters, with celebrities leveraging their massive platforms to push back against policies they find unconscionable.
Kim Kardashian has taken on immigration enforcement actions with surprising force, while Angelina Jolie delivered pointed commentary during an appearance in San Sebastián.
Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro have emerged as two of the loudest voices, proving that speaking out against power doesn’t stop when you retire from the spotlight.
The entertainment industry’s willingness to absorb potential backlash and box office consequences demonstrates just how high the stakes feel for many in that world.
The Spanish angle adds layers to this whole saga.
Realtor reports Gere and Silva’s love story began in 2014 when she was still based in her homeland, leading to years of transatlantic romance before they married in 2018. Late last year, they packed up their lives and moved to Spain with their young sons Alexander, 5, and James, 4, along with Silva’s son Albert from her earlier marriage. They unloaded their Connecticut estate, originally bought from Paul Simon in 2022, for $10.75 million and headed east.
Yet Silva recently told Daily Mail that their European adventure always had an expiration date.
“For a few years, and then come back. But we’re always coming back,” she clarified. “We’ll come back here in the summer because we have the kids at camp. We just have to balance our lives there and here.”
Despite enjoying time with her family, Silva confessed the transition hasn’t been entirely smooth and she genuinely misses elements of life in the States.
What makes this controversy so perfectly emblematic of our current moment is how Gere’s critics tried to disqualify his opinion based on his ZIP code, as if living abroad somehow revokes your right to care about your homeland. The fury directed at him reveals something deeper than mere disagreement — it’s the rage of people who desperately want dissenting voices to simply shut up and disappear.
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