Since the rioting first began on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building, celebrities from across political divides have begun making their voices heard. Most recently, card-carrying Republican and comedian Tim Allen expressed his opinions on the matter.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly , Tim sat down to vent his frustrations. He decried the actions (and inaction) of President Trump as being both “embarrassing and shameful,” and made a solemn plea for reconciliation .
It’s important to first understand that Tim Allen has always identified as a Republican.
For the entirety of his career, Tim has had a reputation for being one of the few outspoken conservatives in Hollywood.
“I’m a fiscally conservative and an emotionally liberal guy,” Tim explained to EW .
The beloved comedian went on to say that he wants people to be taken care of from a social services perspective.
However, he has serious doubts and reservations about the government’s ability to actually get stuff done.
Tim pointed to the vaccine rollout as an example.
But even with his long-standing political affiliations, Tim couldn’t look the other way.
When the topic shifted to the storming of the Capitol building by U.S. protestors, Tim went as far as to call the act “horrible, embarrassing , and shameful.”
He also had some pretty choice words for President Trump.
Tim was dumbstruck by Trump’s inability (or refusal) to publicly speak out against the rioting as it was taking place.
He felt that Trump should have been there, on the front lines, to put an end to the madness before it began.
Instead, the president did the opposite and openly antagonized protestors, baiting them with political rhetoric.
During his rally leading up to the attack, Trump spoke with all the fervor of a German Chancellor and blatantly incited his followers to march.
He explained that now was the time for strength .
That once and for all the American people needed to show that they weren’t prepared to accept a Trump defeat.
When the smoke had finally cleared from the final flashbang grenade, five people were killed — including a Capitol Police Officer.
Tim was stunned by the entire ordeal, but believes that the mob couldn’t have acted alone.
Tim isn’t the only one to make this accusation. Several media news outlets have alluded to the possibility that the rioters may have had inside help.
“I’ve been there before and it’s impossible to get in that building,” Allen reasoned with Entertainment Weekly .
“I couldn’t get in, and I had credentials.”
Last year, the United States of America spent an estimated $934 billion on international defense, yet the Capitol building fell in less than an hour to a makeshift militia?
Seems a bit odd to many people out there.
Which to be fair, he makes an excellent point.
America was already divided, and what happened at Capitol Hill will certainly not help matters. There’s no more political fence-sitting in America, according to Tim.
The lines have been drawn and no one on either side can afford to be half-in.
Tim also believes that the riots have dealt a deadly blow to conservatism in Hollywood and across the country.
Anyone with the slightest inkling toward right-wing politics has been silenced for fear of reprisal, according to Tim.
He goes on to say that due to how terribly the situation was handled, even those with loose conservative ties have been relegated to the closet.
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He attributes much of the tension and negativity currently running rampant across the nation to social media.
Although Tim fully admits that he has a Twitter presence, it’s something he’s growing more and more apathetic toward.
He compares social media to pumping a car’s gas pedal when it’s stuck in neutral.
Just because you’re revving the engine, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going anywhere.
He says that now is the time for reflection, for thoughtfulness, and for intelligent questions.
And that what we need now, more than ever, are journalists with integrity.
“Let’s bring journalism back,” he pleads to *Entertainment Weekly*.
Tim misses the days of hard-nosed reporting.
The kind of journalists with “the pencil behind their ear,” whose only aim was to report the story — not to offer their own opinion on the matter.
Questions provoke discussion and discussion provokes change.
If the nation is to truly heal from this horrific ordeal then its citizens must be willing to come together across political divides.
And in order to do that effectively, we’re going to need more than 280 characters of type space.
So, now we want to hear from you.
What do you think about the events that happened and Tim Allen’s comments on Trump and what happened at Capitol Hill?
Do you agree or disagree with him? Either way, let us know down below in the comment section! We would love to hear from you.