Ron Howard said those who worked with Donald Trump in the entertainment industry have been seeing the real side of the real estate magnate for decades — and that’s why many who worked with Trump ended up hating him.
The Happy Days star opened up on Twitter after a fan pressed him on why so many people in Hollywood seem to harbor a deep dislike for President Trump. When asked why Barack Obama was well-liked and his achievements heralded yet Trump is disliked by Hollywood, Howard responded that many who worked with Trump saw his worst traits.
“In the entertainment industry many who have known/worked w/ Trump think that while his reality show was fun and ran a long time, he’s a self-serving, dishonest, morally bankrupt ego maniac who doesn’t care about anything or anyone but his Fame & bank account & is hustling the US,” Howard wrote.
Though Howard is not among the most vocal celebrities in opposing Trump, he has not been shy in offering his criticism and sharing stories of Trump’s time in Hollywood as the host of the top-rated reality television show, The Apprentice . In a tweet from 2018, Howard said he also knew many who worked with Trump during his business days and found the Manhattan real estate magnate to be unfair and deeply immoral in his business dealings.
“I know many who’ve dealt with Trump. In the business community he’s been disrespected for years for being a flashy promoter who is a lousy business operator,” Howard wrote. “He exploits partners, he under-delivers, declares bankruptcy and blames others. Atlantic City, Steaks, Trump U….USA?”
Howard also called Trump a “self-serving gas bag” in an interview with the BBC ahead of the 2016 presidential election, predicting that Trump would be overwhelmed in the job and unable to handle the pressure of being president were he to win election. Howard predicted that the overmatched Trump would then become a “puppet” for more powerful interests that would really run his presidency.
Howard is not alone in showing dislike for Trump dating back to before his political days. Actor Tom Arnold, who appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice , has frequently offered criticism of Trump and shared stories of his alleged misbehavior on the set of the show. Arnold even hosted a show called The Trump Tapes in which he tried to hunt down the alleged recordings from the set of the show where he and others have claimed that Trump spoke crudely, even using racial slurs.
