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Kevin Costner on the Trump Administration: 'I'm Not Recognizing America Right Now'

June 19, 2018

Actor Kevin Costner on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of fostering a harmful political environment, saying that he is "not recognizing America right now."

Costner, who grew up in a Republican household and has shifted toward the Democratic Party, appeared on ABC's "The View" to discuss his new television series "Yellowstone" on the Paramount network.

During the interview, co-host Joy Behar asked Costner for his thoughts on the state of the country and the Trump administration's practice of separating immigrant children from their parents when families are apprehended for crossing the border illegally.

Costner proceeded to attack the Trump administration for what he described as a toxic environment.

"I'm not recognizing America right now," Costner said. "I don't recognize its voice. I don't recognize any individual statements. I feel people going with the flow, and there's people right in the middle. We're in a really weird spot, and it takes a high level of compassion, empathy, and intelligence to work our way out of this."

Costner, who won two Academy Awards for his work on the film Dances With Wolves, went on to criticize the Trump administration for separating families at the border without a plan, asking whether anyone can imagine the terror of the children not being able to speak English.

"We have to do better. We've been about more. We can be about more, and right now we are acting really small," Costner said.

This is not the first time that Costner has taken an apparent swipe at Trump. In April 2016, Costner appeared to criticize Trump, saying that he did not think the presidential campaign was as "entertaining" as everyone else.

"I don't," Costner said. "No, I find it embarrassing. I find it highly immature. I think America is really teetering at a low point with the way we talk to each other."

"I won't even have dinner with the way people talk," he added. "Where are our big ideas? There's dialogue right now that's shameful."