Nick Offerman has said he’s grateful for some of his closest friends and family being staunch Donald Trump voters, as it allows him to understand those with opposite views to him.
The 55-year-old actor, who found fame as Ron Swanson in the mockumentary series Parks and Recreation, said “some of the best people in my life” support the divisive US President.
“I’m grateful to them because it allows me not to fall into the binary trap of just shaking my fist at them,” Offerman explained to The iPaper.
Offerman continued: “I have these conversations where I say, ‘Listen, you’re a great person and someone I admire, but I think you’re getting bad information.’
“And they shake their heads sadly and say, ‘Sorry, Nick, I’m afraid you’re getting bad information. Brainwashed by the paedophiles.’ Oh, boy.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Offerman took umbrage with super-right-wing voters who have attempted to use his Parks and Recreation character as an icon for being a socially-conservative gun enthusiast.
Offerman’s character Ron Swanson was gruff, manly, loved capitalism and hated the government. Although Swanson owned guns to hunt, he placed vital importance on gun safety and licensing.
“Many, many people with bad reading comprehension will use Ron’s image as their avatar when they’re super-right-wing.
“I can’t sit every one of them down and explain why they’re bad at watching television,” Offerman said.
This July, Offerman said Ron Swanson “would’ve despised Trump” because he loved capitalism.
“Trump made the stupidest move you could make as a capitalist, which is [to] go into public service,” he said.
“He would think he’s an absolute idiot. He would also despise him because he’s disrespectful to women and many others. And that’s just an example of all the people and value sets that Ron would despise, because Ron is a good person.”
Offerman starred as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation over seven seasons from 2009 to 2015.
He has since played numerous other politically complex characters, including a MAGA plumber in Ava DuVernay’s Origin in 2023 and an autocratic president in Alex Garland’s Civil War in 2024.
The actor reflected: “It’s not like I have a yearning to play those specific ideologies but I can serve the writing that uses these characters to help us evolve.”
