Fact Check: Did Clint Eastwood say Obama's presidency was the 'biggest fraud'?
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, CALIFORNIA: A viral social media post claimed that popular Hollywood actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood has slammed former President Barack Obama, calling his presidency the "biggest fraud perpetrated on Americans". While many believe the remark to be authentic, others remain skeptical and have called for a fact-check.
Claim: Clint Eastwood slammed Barack Obama's presidency
The claim surfaced on X, along with a photo of Eastwood and the former president accompanied by a caption stating, “One day we will realize that the Barack Obama presidency was the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the American people."
The post has drawn tens of thousands of views as of this writing, drawing conflicting reactions from online users. Conservative accounts amplified the post, presenting the statement as authentic, while others dismissed it as fabricated, and a few others remained skeptical, prompting a verification of the claim.
Fact Check: True, Clint Eastwood did say it about Barack Obama
The statement is correctly attributed to Eastwood, as it appears to be close to comments he gave to a local California newspaper following the Republican National Convention in 2012.
At the time, the statement was widely shared by conservative social media handles.
In the article, Eastwood reflected on the criticism of the speech he often made against the left and liberals.
The article stated, “After a week as topic No. 1 in American politics, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood said the outpouring of criticism from left-wing reporters and liberal politicians after his appearance at the Republican National Convention, followed by an avalanche of support on Twitter and in the blogosphere, is all the proof anybody needs that his 12-minute discourse achieved exactly what he intended it to.”
“President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” Eastwood told The Pine Cone. “Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that’s what everybody needs to know. I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle.”
Clint Eastwood's politics and involvement in presidential campaigns
The acclaimed actor and director is vocal about his politics and has supported both Democrats and Republicans. While he repeatedly claims to be a libertarian, his views are often seen as more conservative and have been attributed to right-wing politics.
In 1952, to vote for Dwight D. Eisenhower, Eastwood registered as a Republican and passively supported Richard Nixon’s presidential campaigns during 1968 and 1972.
