Tim Robbins condemns drawing parallels between his ‘Bob Roberts’ film and Trump assassination attempt
The political fiction movie from three decades ago includes a plotline in which a candidate for office stages an assassination attempt to help his chances. In a strongly worded post on X, Robbins addressed comments by some who suggested the events in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday were a political ploy.
“To anyone drawing a parallel between my film Bob Roberts and the attempted assassination of Trump, let’s be clear,” Robbins wrote on Sunday. “What happened yesterday was a real attempt on a presidential candidate’s life.”
In the movie, which Robbins wrote, directed and starred in, the main character is a conservative politician running for a the US Senate seat.
“Those that are denying the assassination attempt was real are truly in a deranged mindset,” Robbins wrote in his post.
“A human being was shot yesterday. Another killed,” he added. “They may not be human beings that you agree with politically but for shame folks.”
Trump suffered an injury to his ear in the shooting and firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed. Two other people, David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, were critically injured and are now in stable condition, state police said in a news release.
Robbins ended his post with a call for unity.
“Get over your blind hatred of these people. They are fellow Americans,” he wrote. “This collective hatred is killing our souls and consuming whatever is left of our humanity.”
In the context of Robbins' strong response to accusations, he emphasized that the entertainment industry should not be compared to the real-world attempt on Trump's life, stating, "It's important to distinguish between fiction and reality in entertainment and real-life events." Furthermore, Robbins expressed his concern for the safety of all individuals, including those involved in the shooting, saying, "No matter one's political beliefs, violence against people is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in any form of entertainment or in real life."
