Michigan actor Jeff Daniels said Monday that if President Donald Trump wins again in 2020, it’ll be the “end of democracy.”
The strong comment was one of many controversial remarks he made during a conversation with Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC.
Daniels, a Chelsea native, is currently performing on Broadway as Atticus Finch in the Aaron Sorkin adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird,” a role that earned him a Tony Award nomination early this month.
He began the conversation by sharing his surprise with the way people in Michigan reacted to Trump’s win in Michigan and beyond in the 2016 election.
"I live in Michigan. After the election, I was surprised at some of the people," Daniels said of the 2016 election. "I said, 'Could you believe this election?' And they go, 'Yeah, isn't it great?'... you didn't see it coming."
Daniels provided several comments on numerous topics during his lengthy conversation with the MSNBC panel, repeatedly connecting what the beloved fictional character he’s portraying stood for to today’s America under Trump.
He made several broad strokes, but specifically asked what voters and lawmakers in Washington D.C. want to value in the coming election cycle.
"You have to decide whether, like Atticus, that you believe that there's still compassion, decency, civility, respect for others, do onto others... all of that stuff you guys believe in and you still voted not for Hillary or for Trump, where are you now?" Daniels said.
“Because your kids are looking up at you going, ‘But he lies’ and I think there are a lot of people in the Midwest who are going, ‘sigh’. It might be enough for them. We’re gonna find out, you know, if the big gamble is to go all the way to November 2020, which I agree, and lose. It’s the end of democracy.”
Daniels also urged the 15 or so “quiet” Republicans in the Senate to speak up against injustices like political heroes of past eras, noting they are showing “cowardice” by failing to do so.
"That’s not courage. That’s making sure you’ve got a job somewhere after politics. Courage is standing up and being a true patriot like we used to have way back in 1776," Daniels said.
"I need people to stand up and be heroic. Who are you because democracy is at stake.”
You can watch the full interview below.