Fact Check

Is Tom Selleck a Trump Supporter?

As it turns out, Tom Selleck is not the same person as Jon Voight.

Published Aug. 20, 2019

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 29:  Actor Tom Sellek visits the Build Series to discuss his show "Blue Bloods" at Build Studio on September 29, 2017 in New York City.  (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage) ( Gary Gershoff/WireImage)
Image Via Gary Gershoff/WireImage
Claim:
Actor Tom Selleck has publicly endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump.

Since at least March 2018, clickbait factories have pushed identical, word-for-word copies of an article claiming "Magnum P.I." star Tom Selleck, in an interview with Breitbart News, said he would say “f*ck you” to anyone who did not support U.S. President Donald Trump. These copy-paste articles, published on sites with real-sounding names like “trumpphotos.blogspot.com,” “americanews2018.blogspot.com,” and, most recently, “thedailytrumpnews.us,” state:

In a meeting with Breitbart News, the legendary American actor stated:

“I’m completely sure that he is the best so far. I’m saying I like this guy.” “He’s an answer to our problems. We need to get behind him. The Republicans need to unite behind this man. We need somebody to go in and reconstruct us in a sort of way, get us back to where we were, who we need to be.”

Then he continued with something truly remarkable:

“Donald is funny, playful, and colorful, but most of all, he is honest. When he decided to run for president, I know he did it with a true conviction to bring this country back to prosperity. He is the only one who can do it. No frills, no fuss, only candid truths.”

“I am very disappointed at the talk show hosts, also spewing out lies and propaganda against Donald. Why, I wonder? The only thing I can think of is he represents a form of freedom none of them ever saw before, and they are bewildered about it, and frightened about it. I would say “f*ck you” to all of them. To all that are criticizing him for no reason and want him to resign for no reason. Just go to hell all of you!”

“I pray all Americans who have seen and felt the meltdown of America with the Obama years, to please fight for Donald Trump. He will not let us down. I pray for all good people to see clearly what faces us now. The right vote will save our nation.”

At no point ever did Selleck ever conduct an interview with Breitbart News in which he said any of these words. Curiously, however, the words are lifted from a real Hollywood actor who did endorse Trump for president in 2016 — Jon Voight. In a March 2016 Breitbart article titled “Exclusive: Jon Voight Endorses Donald Trump for President,” that outlet published a statement from Voight that read, in part:

I, Jon Voight, can say, without hesitation, that Donald is funny, playful, and colorful, but most of all, he is honest. When he decided to run for president, I know he did it with a true conviction to bring this country back to prosperity. He is the only one who can do it. No frills, no fuss, only candid truths. [...]

I am very disappointed at the talk show hosts, also spewing out lies and propaganda against Donald. Why, I wonder? The only thing I can think of is he represents a form of freedom none of them ever saw before, and they are bewildered about it, and frightened about it.

Selleck is a Hollywood actor with true conservative bona fides, but he is not Voight. Selleck was, until he resigned in September 2018, a member of the board of directors for the National Rifle Association, and he has described his political affiliation as "a registered independent with a lot of libertarian leanings." In 2008, he supported John McCain for president.

In 2016, however, he could not bring himself to support candidate Trump or his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Instead of voting for either, he told members of the morning talk show "The View," he wrote in the name of Dallas Police Chief  David Brown. Selleck, who told the hosts he "didn't support either [presidential] candidate," said the police chief "showed such grace and leadership” in response to a 2016 mass shooting targeting Dallas police officers, and that Selleck was just deeply touched by him.

Because Selleck never said the favorable words in defense of Trump attributed to him in these viral articles, and because Selleck has explicitly stated he didn’t support either candidate in 2016, we rank the claim as "False."

Sources

trumppictures.blogspot.com.   “Actor Tom Selleck: ‘I Would Say “F*ck You” To Anyone Who Wants Donald Trump To…’”     9 March 2018.

americannews2018.blogspot.com.   “Actor Tom Selleck: ‘I Would Say “F*ck You” To Anyone Who Wants Donald Trump To…’”     11 February 2019.

thedailytrumpnews.us.   “Actor Tom Selleck: ‘I Would Say “F*ck You” To Anyone Who Wants Donald Trump To…’”     11 August 2019.

Pollak, Joel B.   “Exclusive: Jon Voight Endorses Donald Trump for President.”     Breitbart News.   9 March 2016.

Hipes, Patrick.   “Tom Selleck Stepping Down From NRA Board.”     Deadline.   19 September 20

Miller John J.   “Like Ike.”     National Review.   29 May 2004.

Dowling, Tim.   “With Friends Like These ... The Stars Who Are Backing McCain.”     The Guardian.   25 August 2008.

The View (Facebook page).   “Tom Selleck Discusses Presidential Election.”     27 July 2018.

Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime.