Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Documentarian Ken Burns Offers Stark Warning About Trump In Viral Graduation Speech

Screenshot of Ken Burns; Donald Trump
Brandeis University; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The famed documentarian shared a powerful warning about reelecting Trump, 'the opioid of all opioids,' during his recent commencement speech at Brandeis University.

Famed documentarian Ken Burns shared a powerful warning about re-electing former President Donald Trump during his recent commencement speech at Brandeis University, referring to Trump as "the opioid of all opioids."

Burns also cautioned graduates that "there is no real choice this November, only the perpetuation, however flawed or feeble you might perceive it, of our fragile 249-year-old experiment or the entropy that will engulf and destroy us if we take the other route."


He added:

"The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure or what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems."
"When in fact with him, you end up re-enslaved with an even bigger problem, a worse affliction and addiction, 'a bigger delusion,' James Baldwin would say, the author and finisher of our national existence, our national suicide as Mr. Lincoln prophesies."
"Do not be seduced by easy equalization. There is nothing equal about this equation. We are at an existential crossroads in our political and civic lives."
"This is a choice that could not be clearer."

You can hear what Burns said in the video below.

Many concurred with Burns' assessment.


This isn't the first time Burns has gone viral for criticizing Trump during a commencement speech.

He previously addressed graduates at Stanford University’s 2016 commencement, stressing that Trump's candidacy signaled rock-bottom in the history of American politics.

Though Burns never actually uttered Trump's name, it was clear to whom he referred to when he described the candidate who “insults veterans, threatens a free press, mocks the handicapped, denigrates women, immigrants and all Muslims” and “took more than a day to remember to disavow a supporter who advocates white supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan."

Burns went on to characterize Trump as “an infantile, bullying man” and ”a spoiled, misbehaving child." He said that electing Trump to office "“would be like asking a newly minted car driver to fly a 747.”

Clearly, he'd rather we not go through that again.

More from News/2024-election

Abdellatif and Sandra Hafraoui
@LePapillonBleu2/X

New Jersey MAGA Couple Slams Trump For 'Ruining Our Lives' After Husband Gets Detained By ICE

Abdellatif and Sandra Hafraoui are a New Jersey couple that backed President Donald Trump, and they estimate they've paid $50,000 in legal fees since ICE agents detained Abdellatif despite initially believing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown would only "focus on criminals."

In fact, Sandra is furious at the man she voted for three times and believes he is "ruining" their lives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump receiving gold medal from Team USA men's hockey team
@RonFilipkowski/X

The Men's Hockey Team Just Let Donald Trump Wear One Of Their Gold Medals—And The Jokes Came Pouring In

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after the U.S. men's hockey team arrived in Washington fresh off their victory at the Winter Olympics and handed him a gold medal to try on.

Trump has been flattered with gifts and cozied up to by energy lobbyists in recent months—he even received a "peace prize" from FIFA once upon a time—so his reaction here is really something.

Keep ReadingShow less
Flavor Flav; Donald Trump
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Flavor Flav Shades Trump With Epic Invitation To US Women's Hockey Team For A 'Real Celebration'

Flavor Flav is a co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted legendary rap group Public Enemy. He later gained reality TV fame as the star of the VH1 dating show Flavor of Love.

But in recent years, Flavor Flav has been best known in pop culture as an enthusiastic hype man for Team USA at the Olympics, especially the often overlooked teams. For the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, he sponsored the entire women's water polo team.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jon Stewart discussing Kash Patel
@TheDailyShow/X

Jon Stewart Says What We're All Thinking About Kash Patel After USA Hockey Locker Room Video Goes Viral

After FBI Director Kash Patel made headlines for chugging a beer and wearing a gold medal in the locker room of the USA Men's Olympics Hockey team following their gold medal win at the Winter Olympics, Daily Show host Jon Stewart mocked him profusely, saying what we're all thinking about the display.

In footage circulated online by William Turton of ProPublica, Patel appears to down a bottle of beer, throw his arms up, and slam his fist on a table in celebration. Moments later, Matthew Tkachuk of Team USA is seen placing his medal around Patel’s neck, after which Patel joins the victorious hockey players in singing "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" by Toby Keith.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bess Kalb; Donald Trump
C-SPAN; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Former 'Jimmy Kimmel' Writer Epically Fires Back At 'Bruised Skin' Trump In Blistering Congressional Testimony

Bess Kalb, a former writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, criticized President Donald Trump during a hearing on Capitol Hill called “Silencing Dissent: The First Amendment Under Attack,” saying the president is the program's "best and worst audience" with "inexplicably bruised" and "very thin" skin.

Kalb's appearance is no accident given how much Jimmy Kimmel Live! has offended Trump's sensibilities over the years—and how he tried to pull it off the air last year.

Keep ReadingShow less