Jennifer Lawrence is team Joe Biden and Kamala Harris when it comes to the Nov. 3, 2020 presidential election. Now the Oscar winning actress is explaining why even though she grew up in a Republican household, she could never vote for Donald Trump, 74. The Red Sparrow star appeared on the Oct. 21 Dear Media Absolutely Not podcast with host, comedian Heather McMahan, and said that when Trump refused to condemn White supremacy in the first presidential debate — instead telling the neo-right White male-only organization The Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by” — it was a “line drawn in the sand” for her as a voter. You can hear J-Law discuss the subject starting at the 36:29 mark below:
The 30-year-old is a board member of Represent Us, the largest grassroots anti-political corruption campaign, yet for Jennifer she says “it’s extremely hard to talk about politics, you don’t want to. I’m an actor and I want everybody to see my movies,” she explained about the possibility of alienating some fans.
Jennifer revealed that she didn’t even vote for Barack Obama during his successful 2008 presidential run. “I grew up Republican. The first president, my first time voting, I voted for John McCain. I was a little Republican and I’ve changed my politics,” the star admitted.
The Kentucky native continued, “I was fortunate to grow up in a Republican house were I was able see the fiscal benefits of some of the Republican policies. And I could also see the social issues weren’t in line with my views. And then for me, when Donald Trump got elected, that just changed everything. Cause he’s an impeached president who’s broken many laws and has refused to condemn White supremacy, and it’s just….it feels like there’s been a line drawn in the sand.”
When it came to the topic of actors giving their opinion on politics and voting, Jen said that all American voices have a right to their own thoughts. “I have an opinion. I don’t want to support a president who supports White supremacists,” she explained. Jennifer then said she longed for the days when Obama led the nation because it was so much more stress-free.
“Don’t you remember…Like, it’s so hard to remember the days when Obama was president, where you woke up and you, you would go days, maybe weeks without thinking about the president. Because like everything, in general would be okay. I mean the amount of anxiety…” she frustratingly sighed about how much nerve racking drama Trump brings every day to the job of president.
Jennifer already endorsed Biden and Harris earlier in October when she appeared on the cover of V magazine‘s special election issue. The Hunger Games star told the publication, “Voting is the foundation of our democracy and our freedom. And I would consider this upcoming election the most consequential of our lifetime. I’m voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris this year because Donald Trump has and will continue to put himself before the safety and well-being of America. He does not represent my values as an American, and most importantly as a human being.