Batman himself has some harsh words to share about two other famous billionaires.
In an Instagram video posted Tuesday, Michael Keaton addressed followers — “guys mostly” — who may be considering attending a rally with former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
“They don’t really respect you,” the “Batman” star, 73, said. “They laugh at you behind your back. They think you’re stupid. They don’t want to hang out with you. They have nothing in common with you. They’re not your bros.”
Musk was a guest at the Republican presidential nominee’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, where he wore a “Make America Great Again” hat. The billionaire SpaceX founder has endorsed Trump for president and described the 2024 election as a “must-win situation.”
In Keaton’s video message, which he delivered while wearing a baseball cap and with an American flag hanging behind him, he referenced Trump’s infamous 2016 comment that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose voters.
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“Basically, what he’s saying in parentheses is, ‘These people are so stupid, they’re so dumb, they’d still vote for me,'” Keaton said, concluding, “They have no respect for you. Trust me.”
Keaton is originally from Pennsylvania, which Trump won in 2016 (President Joe Biden won the state in 2020). A video shared Tuesday by Vice President Kamala Harris’ Pennsylvania campaign account showed the actor attending an event in support of the Democratic nominee.
“This is getting really, really scary,” Keaton said in the clip. “And me? If (Trump) gets elected, chances are, I’ll be OK. Middle class ain’t going to be OK. And if you’re young, you sure enough ain’t going to be OK. I’m telling you, it’s going to get bad.”
Keaton previously backed Biden for president, urging followers in a video posted before the 2020 election to “end this insane chaos,” adding, “Four more years of that? I don’t think so.” Earlier that year, the “Beetlejuice” star argued on Instagram that Trump is “obviously unfit” for office and should resign as president. “Walk away,” he said. “Would be very patriotic and I would personally write a note thanking him. I swear I’m not being condescending. It’s just the truth.”
While watching September’s presidential debate between Trump and Harris, Keaton argued that the vice president “schooled” Trump and “exposed” him “as the FAKE he’s always been.”
Still, Keaton told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 that he is judicious about the ways he enters the political arena. “I learned a long time ago, you do more damage because you’re famous,” he told the outlet. “I’ve told people, you don’t want me there. They’ll go, ‘Well of course he brought his Hollywood friend.’ You know what people forget? We all were just some person somewhere in Cincinnati or (expletive) Ottawa or (expletive) Cleveland.”
Keaton is coming off the success of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the Tim Burton sequel that grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office, and recently hosted “Saturday Night Live.”
Contributing: Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY