The beloved actor and Academy Award-winning director Robert Redford has passed away, aged 89. Many sends their condolences after “The Sundance Kid’s” passing, including President Donald Trump.
However, looking back, Trump and Redford doesn’t seem to have had the best of relations. What Robert Redford really felt? Well, he didn’t spare any words.
Robert Redford, known for many classic roles including starring as The Sundance Kid in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and films such as The Sting, All President’s Men and Out of Africa, has passed away at age 89. He also won the Oscar for best Director in 1981 for Ordinary People.
The sad news were shared with The New York Times by the chief executive of the publicity firm Rogers & Cowan PMK, Cindi Berger. She said Reddford diec in his sleep at his Utah home. Berger didn’t specify the cause of death.
“Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah–the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly,” Berger said in a statement to CNN. “The family requests privacy.”
Colleagues, as well as fans, are now sending their condolences to the Redford family. And it didn’t take long before President Donald Trump also paid tribute to the late actor and director.
“Robert Redford had a series of years where there was nobody better,” Trump told journalists as he left the White House to fly to the UK. “There was a period of time when he was the hottest. I thought he was great.”
Robert Redford’s true feelings about Donald Trump
Sadly, in reality, Donald Trump and Robert Redford had a little more complicated relationship. In fact, Robert Redford, known for being very outspoken about his views on American politics, wasn’t a big fan of Trump at all.
As Trump rose in the ranks, all the way to the White House, Redford wasn’t shy of expressing his views on the president. Several times, he delivered criticism, and even warnings about the former real estate mogul.
In 2015, three years before Trump won the PResidential Election against Hillary Clinton, Redford appeared on Larry King NOw. He was asked about Trump. stating, “Look he’s got such a big foot in his mouth, I’m not sure you’re going to get it out. But on the other hand, I’m glad he’s in there.”
Robert Redford continued: “I’m glad he’s in there because him being the way he is, and saying what he says the way he says it, I think shakes things up and I think that’s very needed. Because on the other side, it’s so bland, it’s so boring, it’s so empty.”
Donald Trump, who also isn’t shy of responding to such criticism, quickly answered. On X, then Twitter, he responded to Redford’s comments.
“Wow! Such nice words from Robert Redford on my running for President. Thank you, Robert,” Trump said.
“Degrades everything he touches”
As per Newsweek, Redford’s spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter at thetime that the actors’ comment wasn’t an indication that he supported Trump, but rather that he got enjoyment from Donald as a character.
When Donad Trump held office, in 2019, Redford struck again. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, a year before Trump was impeached for a second time, “The Sundance Kid” argued that it was wrong to impeach the president. Instead, Redford thought voters should have used their power to kick him out of the White House and from the Oval Office.
“It is painfully clear we have a president who degrades everything he touches, a person who does not understand (or care?) that his duty is to defend our democracy,” Redford dsaid.
The same year, then in an op-ed for NBC, the actor claimed Donald Trump was a threat to the US democracy.
“We’re up against a crisis I never thought I’d see in my lifetime: a dictator-like attack by President Donald Trump on everything this country stands for,” he said.
Robert Redford wanted to give Trump “a chance”
He added that it was fair to have given “the guy a chance” when he was first elected, but that Trimp undermined many things democracy stood for; the rule of law, freedom of speech, and freedom of press.
“Instead of the United States of America, we are now defined as the Divided States of America,” Robert Redford added.
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