Clint Eastwood’s two years as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea showcased his dedication to expanding his business empire, increasing toilet facilities and library space, and allowing the unrestricted sale of ice cream cones. Still, what do we know about Eastwood’s political views?
Eastwood’s political beliefs are as wide-ranging as his mayoral achievements. They can best be summed up in a quote he once gave to Parade: “When you’re young, you’re very reckless… Then you get conservative. Then you get reckless again.” The Wall Street Journal reports that Eastwood ran for mayor on a non-partisan ticket. Although he’s mainly leaned right, Eastwood’s political party support has skewered occasionally over the years. Eastwood endorsed Republican Mitt Romney’s presidential bid and bizarrely launched a verbal attack at an empty chair representing Barack Obama during the 2012 GOP convention.
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In 2016, Eastwood took issue with both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. “Well, we have a great lack of [integrity] now. It’s a madhouse out there. You wonder, what the hell?” Eastwood told Esquire. Still, ultimately, he leaned towards Trump, claiming he was “onto something” as Eastwood believed the world was going PC-crazy. “We’re really in a p**** generation,” he said. “Everybody’s walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren’t called racist.” However, in 2020, Eastwood changed his tune, telling the WSJ that he wished Trump would act “more genteel” and throwing his celebrity clout behind Democrat Mike Blomberg.
