I’d go for Trump, he’s on to something: Clint Eastwood praises Republican

Hollywood heavyweight Clint Eastwood has stopped short of endorsing Donald Trump, but praised the Republican presidential candidate for being “on to something” in an interview in Esquire magazine.

Hollywood heavyweight Clint Eastwood has stopped short of endorsing Donald Trump, but praised the Republican presidential candidate for being “on to something” in an interview in Esquire magazine.

Actor-director Clint Eastwood at the Guys Choice Awards in California. Eastwood stopped short of endorsing Donald Trump, but made clear who he preferred in the US presidential race(AP File Photo)

In the interview, posted online on Wednesday, the actor-director hailed Trump as a foe of political correctness and lamented what he called “the kiss-ass generation”.

“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,” said the 86-year-old known for his western movies, and largely regarded as a cultural icon of machismo for his movie roles.

Eastwood, who spoke at the 2012 Republican convention -- “that silly thing ... talking to the chair” -- urged people to “get over it”.

“What Trump is onto is he’s just saying what’s on his mind. And sometimes it’s not so good. And sometimes it’s . I mean, I can understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t always agree with it.”

Eastwood said he wasn’t endorsing anyone for president, but said he’d choose Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. “I’d have to go for Trump, you know, ‘cause she’s (Hillary) declared that she’s gonna follow in Obama’s footsteps. There’s been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle,” he said.