Jane Fonda explains why even those who disagree should 'love' Trump
"There's too much hate," Fonda said.
Even those who oppose Trump, his actions and his policies should “love him,” Jane Fonda told “The View” on Friday.
“There's too much hate,” Fonda added, explaining why we should support the president and the people who stand behind him. “We're not going to solve any problems hating... we have to hate what they do and hate what they say. And not hate them.”
Fonda alluded to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s definition of love — in the Christian sense of unconditional love for every person — regardless of whether they are fair or unjust, or whether they respect or hate you.
She compared this concept to the distinction between “like and love”: “I don't like him but I love him. Now, it's not easy, but we have to all try to open our hearts and become empathetic.”
Fonda said that empathy comes with understanding “bad behavior," saying that even evil behavior comes from trauma.
“If we can't feel empathy for people, even if though they don't agree with us, we're doomed,” she added. “We are.”
Fonda said “the system that he represents” is the opposite of empathy. “Empathy goes along with democracy, and that's what we have to fight for.”
The actress and activist also discussed taking the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as credible, and responded to those questioning why Dr. Christine Blasey Ford chose to come forward 36 years after the alleged assault. Kavanaugh has denied the assault charges.
“Totally, I understand her reluctance to come forward,” Fonda said. “Every single white man on that committee has already made up their mind. They're not going to listen to a word… She knows that.”
Fonda said she has “no idea” what would make those on the Senate Judiciary Committee change their minds about Ford’s claims. “I'm scared to even get into those minds, you know… Isn't it so apparent what they're doing? They want to push [Kavanaugh] through no matter what.”
Despite the large pushback to Ford’s charges, Fonda said that she never thought she’d “live long enough to see” women demanding fair treatment and being successful in the age of #MeToo.
Related Stories
“We all realize if this movement is going to make a difference and work, we have to stand alongside our sisters who work in hotels, who work at home taking care of the elderly,” Fonda said. “It has to be intersectional. That's what has to happen and it's really beautiful and it ain't going away. “
Even today, the infamous photo of Fonda seated on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun has haunted her since it was taken in 1972.
“It's a terrible thing,” she said. “I apologized for the photo, you bet, yes.”
However, she said she never considered dialing back her activism against the war.
“They say, 'Oh, movie actors shouldn't speak up and voice their opinions,'” Fonda said. “It's because it matters when we do because it helps the voice — lift the voices of people who aren't famous, [that] aren't heard, that need to be heard.”
Fonda named former President Richard Nixon among those who tried to stop her from speaking out.
“When they did all these things it was just like, 'You're not going to stop me. I'm going to dig my heels in and you'll see, I'll outlast you.'”
That determination underlies many of the stories in her new documentary, “Jane Fonda in Five Acts.”
“What I hope they take away from the movie is it's never too late to become who you were meant to be… live an examined life,” Fonda said. “Keep asking: can I get better, can I learn more, can I grow? … Own it, take responsibility for your mistakes. … You have to own your mistakes and learn from them. Otherwise, you can't grow.”
