Kevin Costner continues to be impressed by Pete Buttigieg after endorsing him in the Democratic primary during an Iowa rally last December.
“There was this kind of thought, [you can] like Pete, but it’s not his time,” the Oscar winner tells Variety. “And I think, you know what, really? Really? Not his time? I think he’s even showing now that he’s a person of a level of energy and integrity and of vision and that’s why I did it. I don’t often step out.”
Although he hasn’t hit the campaign trail for the general election, Costner has endorsed Joe Biden for president.
“I think we really have to have a president for both sides,” he said. “And for the people who don’t vote for Biden, if Biden wins it’s necessary that he address what they’re concerned about. I think he has that level of bandwidth to understand that the group that doesn’t vote for him needs attention. They have their own concerns and we have to think about that.”
Costner didn’t mention President Donald Trump by name, but said, “The idea of racism and of violence…we all have to be able to look at that go, ‘Enough. That’s enough.’”
He also added, “It’s pretty clear every four years we get a chance to kind of look at where we are as a country and decide if we’re going the right way and if we’re not, we have that opportunity to make a shift.”
In May 2019, Costner expressed his dismay over the country’s politics during an interview on Variety’s “The Big Ticket” podcast. “The political landscape is unrecognizable to me, and shame on us for being in that spot,” he said. “That could change overnight, not because of a vote, but because people say, ‘I want to try to be more than about myself.’ That’s the definition of public service.”
He also said at the time that he’d in interested in a Michelle Obama presidency. “Michelle’s incredibly bright and articulate and has possessed good judgement and experience as a result,” Costner said. “Why couldn’t she be [president]?”
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