Kirk Douglas fans have been remembering the
Hollywood legend with an impassioned letter he wrote about the rise of Donald Trump.
The actor, who died on Wednesday at the age of 103, was a vocal critic of the US president, penning a piece for HuffPost in 2016 warning about the dangers of Trump prior to the election.
In the article, entitled The Road Ahead, Kirk – whose parents were emigrants from
Russia – compared Trump’s rise to that of Hitler.He wrote: “I’ve also lived through the horrors of a Great Depression and two World Wars, the second of which was started by a man who promised that he would restore his country it to its former greatness.“I was 16 when that man came to power in 1933. For almost a decade before his rise he was laughed at ― not taken seriously. He was seen as a buffoon who couldn’t possibly deceive an educated, civilised population with his nationalistic, hateful rhetoric.“The ‘experts’ dismissed him as a joke. They were wrong.”
Quoting a pre-election speech Trump made, Kirk also noted a correlation between comments he’d made about some immigrants, compared to how certain groups were being treated a century earlier. “A few weeks ago we heard words spoken in
Arizona that my wife, Anne, who grew up in
Germany, said chilled her to the bone,” he said. “They could also have been spoken in 1933.
“These are not the
American values that we fought in World War II to protect.”
With news of Kirk’s death coming shortly before the Republican-led
Senate acquitted Trump in his impeachment trial, many people have been poignantly sharing the article again on social media:Kirk Douglas warning of Trump in 2014: "I will not be here to see the consequences if this evil takes root in our country. But your children and mine will be." https://t.co/MYuL27FtcL— EssenViews - Silence Kills Democracy (@essenviews) February 6, 2020He tried to save democracy tooOn his 100th birthday Kirk Douglas wrote to
Donald Trump https://t.co/Shyjk1xkR2— 🆘 Just The Facts 🆘 (@wildwestpie) February 5, 2020Throwback to the time Kirk Douglas reminded the world what a prevalent danger Donald Trump and his toxic administration are to America.https://t.co/aKDCyr7akM— Mike P Williams 🌹 (@Mike_P_Williams) February 6, 2020Read the Letter Kirk Douglas Wrote Back in 2016 Warning America About the Danger of Trump https://t.co/CMYmFD9Obn— The Resistance 🇺🇸 (@NightlyPolitics) February 6, 2020Kirk Douglas died on trump’s impeachment vote day. He was holding on too see if trump got removed or voted out of office. He’s was like “nah, you people deal with this piece of shit. I am 103 & lived through 2 world wars, I’m done.” https://t.co/NRWGFzZ2dFpic.twitter.com/a5uh8hvYR1— LAC (@HumanitarianGal) February 6, 2020RIP Kirk Douglas, gone at 103.When he was 100, Donald Trump was running and Spartacus had some thoughts: https://t.co/sButpzvTAz— Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) February 5, 2020#iamspartacusOn Kirk Douglas’ 100th b-day & just as the 2016
election was heating up, he penned an open letter as a warning to fellow citizens about what lay ahead regarding trump.Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch to
Russian immigrants in NY in 1916.https://t.co/hWpM1QbgOSpic.twitter.com/U3uLuTZr5t— Maggie Jordan (@MaggieJordanACN) February 6, 2020Kirk’s son, actor Michael Douglas, confirmed his father had died on Wednesday night.
The actor was best known for films including Spartacus and Ace In The Hole, and his explosive acting style and masculine persona established him as a leading man throughout the 1950s.
Michael’s wife, Catherine Zeta Jones led the tributes to her “darling” father-in-law on Instagram.
“To my darling Kirk,” the
Chicago actress wrote. “I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight...”READ MORE: Hollywood Legend Kirk Douglas Dies Aged 103 Catherine Zeta Jones Leads Tributes To Father-In-Law Kirk Douglas, Following His Death At The Age Of 103