A star promoting a new season of a highly popular TV series usually shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes and rarely touches on major current events.
This wasn't the case when The White Lotus actor Jason Isaacs stopped by MSNBC last month to discuss his character, Timothy Ratliff—a self-centered financier from Durham, North Carolina, who is under investigation for a shady business venture with an associate while away on vacation with his family.
On the network's Morning Joe program with host Jonathan Lemire, the British actor went off the rails and tore into Republican President Donald Trump when he discussed the challenges of segueing into frivolous entertainment programs from urgent political news headlines.
And he didn't hold back.
A video of his political rant on Trump's controversial policies resurfaced and went viral as The White Lotus hit its midseason stride.
“When I sat down, I went, ‘How do you transition from [talking about] killing people all over the world by taking their medicine away and then talk about a television show?' " Isaacs wondered.
He made a Trump connection to his White Lotus character's hubris and avarice, saying, “But maybe there is some kind of segue because it's about rich people being selfish."
As Lemire was ready to move on to discuss more of the popular satirical drama anthology series, Isaac interjected by mentioning Trump's slashing of foreign aid and developmental programs at the hands of his appointed DOGE leader, Elon Musk.
“I want to know this,” said Isaacs. “If you decided that Medicare wasn’t working, would you shut down all treatment for every single person in America? Or would you go, ‘Let’s review it while it’s ongoing because we’re saving people’s lives?’”
You can watch a clip of the resurfaced interview here.
“How do you take money away from the entire world, killing millions of people, taking their medicine away, and then go, ‘We may give it back to you in a few months’ time, when you’re dead’? What is the logic behind that? Who voted for that?” Isaacs asked, referring to Trump and DOGE's gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Social media users were in love with the Harry Potter actor all over again.
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When the host mentioned our current state of politics involving Trump's slashing of USAID wasn't part of Trump's campaign, Isaacs doubled down with:
“That was not part of his mandate. I watched in horror most of the campaigning, and he never mentioned any of that stuff.”
After briefly checking himself, Isaacs changed his tone and said:
“Anyway, sorry, we’re talking about a television show, but there is a tie-in."
"I am playing an enormously wealthy and self-centered person who has really only thought about himself for most of his life.”
Segue accomplished.
Lemire concluded by noting, “We appreciate versatile guests who can do both the news and their show."
We concur.
New episodes of The White Lotus airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and stream on Max.
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