Chris Evans Says Steve Bannon “Has No Place in Politics”
By Lauren Le Vine. Photos: Getty Images, Courtesy of Twitter.
Captain America—a.k.a., Chris Evans—is a risk-taker. That’s obvious from the fact that for his new Esquire cover story, he chose to go skydiving with writer Maximillian Potter. The “star doing an extreme thing” with the interviewer is fairly well-trod territory for men’s magazine cover stories, but skydiving isn’t the riskiest thing Evans did while talking to Potter (well, besides risking his pricey Marvel insurance policy). Evans wanted to talk politics, and he shared his opinion on everyone from Donald Trump to Steve Bannon. He also covered his recent Twitter exchange with former K.K.K. leader David Duke. Evans has thoughts, and despite the millions of Captain America fans who might disagree with them, he wanted to let it all out.
Evans was a fervent Hillary Clinton supporter during the 2016 election. He never entertained the possibility that Trump would win. Evans is still in shock over his victory. “I feel rage. I feel fury,” he told Potter. “It’s unbelievable. People were just so desperate to hear someone say that someone is to blame. They were just so happy to hear that someone was angry. Hear someone say that Washington sucks. They just want something new without actually understanding.”
He continued, railing on White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. “I mean, guys like Steve Bannon—Steve Bannon!—this man has no place in politics.”
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It’s a subject Evans has discussed before. He expressed his disappointment with Trump’s appointment of Bannon back in November. In response to a tweet from Jake Tapper about Bannon’s alleged anti-Semitic remarks (which Bannon has denied making), Evans wrote “We're watching unabashed bigotry creep into the White House right before our eyes. This isn't about left vs right. It's about right vs wrong,” and linked to Tapper’s tweet.
Evans also wanted to tell Potter about the impetus behind his heated exchange with David Duke, which started over Trump choosing Jeff Sessions for attorney general. “If David Duke....DAVID!...DUKE!... thinks you’re right, then you are unequivocally wrong. The confirmation of @jeffsessions is beyond words,” the actor tweeted in February. They went back and forth, with Evans eventually trying to rise above, saying, “We can’t let hatred be the loudest voice.”
Potter asked if Evans is worried about alienating a portion of the Captain America audience. Short answer: no. Chris Evans does what makes him able to look in the mirror. He isn’t afraid. He went skydiving almost as if to prove it.
This story originally appeared on Vanity Fair.
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