A group of actors and activists have released a video for America's 250th anniversary that criticizes the Trump administration and urges opposition to its policies. The nearly 10-minute video, which premiered on Variety, features dozens of celebrities reading from Timothy Snyder's 2017 book, "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century." Participants include Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ted Danson, and Judd Apatow.
In the video, Snyder states that the upcoming midterm elections are a critical juncture for the nation, with the potential to either steer the country in a positive direction or lead to further decline. "Today, the Republic is 250 years old," Snyder says in the clip. "As I look ahead to this coming November, I see a turning point for our Republic. A time when things could turn very well, or they could turn very ill indeed."
Celebrities recite lessons from Snyder's book on how nations descend into tyranny. Lines such as "Do not obey in advance" were delivered by Leslie Odom Jr., Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Holland Taylor, while "Beware of the one-party state" was read by Isabel Allende and Lisa Rinna. The video also features recitations from Margaret Atwood, Sophia Bush, Misha Collins, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ron Funches, Tony Goldwyn, Eric Holder, Jenifer Lewis, Billy Porter, Maria Ressa, Molly Ringwald, J. Smith-Cameron, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Bradley Whitford.
Mark Ruffalo, an outspoken critic of the Trump administration, told Variety that his participation stemmed from a desire to move away from a government he views as corrupt and catering to the wealthy. "My hope is that after this very bad and corrupt time we are living through now, we move away from a government that caters to the wealthy and powerful and focuses on the needs, desires and dreams of the children and young people," Ruffalo stated. He also called for addressing the wealth gap, protecting the environment, and adopting Indigenous worldviews.
Timothy Snyder shared the video on X, formerly Twitter, with a caption emphasizing the possibility of creating a better America. However, Snyder also directly criticized the current official 250th-anniversary celebrations, writing that their leaders embody "every threat to liberty that the founders named: arbitrary rule; indifference to law; undue accumulation of wealth; corruption of the government to attain that wealth; collusion with foreign powers to attain power."
Fox News Digital reported that it did not immediately receive a response from the White House when seeking comment.