Pedro Almodóvar calls Trump ‘greatest mistake of our time’ as he receives Chaplin award

Celebrated Spanish director slams Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants and trans rights

Pedro Almodóvar described US president Donald Trump as the “greatest mistake of our time”, while accepting the prestigious Chaplin Award in New York.

The celebrated Spanish director spoke on stage at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center on Monday, where he was presented with the award.

“I doubted if it was appropriate to come to a country ruled by a narcissistic authoritarian leader who doesn’t respect human rights, and whom it seems nothing can stop on his race to change fragile world balance,” The Room Next Door director said.

“Trump and his friends, millionaires and oligarchs, cannot convince us that the reality we are seeing with our own eyes is the opposite of what we are living, however much he may twist the words, claiming that they mean the opposite of what they do.”

Pedro Almodóvar described US president Donald Trump as the “greatest mistake of our time” (Getty Images)

Almodóvar’s speech, delivered on the eve of Trump completing 100 days in office, referenced the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants and transgender rights.

“Immigrants are not criminals, even though the United States treats them as such. [Ukraine’s president] Zelensky is not a dictator, Putin is. And however much Trump denies it, it was Russia that invaded Ukraine. Hunter Schafer, the wonderful co-protagonist with Zendaya of Euphoria, is a woman. Even though she was assigned male while renewing her passport.”

In February this year, Schafer, 26, shared in a TikTok video that her renewed passport came back with her sex marked as M for male, even though she had filled out the forms marking her gender as female.

Hunter Schafer's passport now identifies her as a male (Hunter Schafer / TikTok screenshot)

“Mr Trump, I’m talking to you,” Almodóvar continued. “Mr Trump, I hope that you hear what I’m going to say to you. You will go down in history as the greatest mistake of our time. Your naiveté is only comparable to your violence. You will go down in history as one of the greatest damages to humanity since the beginning of the century. You will go down in history as a catastrophe.”

Almodóvar went on to express his gratitude for the award, and dedicated it to the “thousands deported in recent weeks”, Schafer, and to Harvard University for its “determination to not surrender to Trump’s war on knowledge and culture”.

Harvard University is suing the Trump administration for cutting $2.2bn in federal funding, alleging retaliation over its refusal to punish pro-Palestinian student protests and comply with demands to end DEI programmes and favour conservative applicants.

Dua Lipa, John Turturro, John Waters, Rossy de Palma, and Mikhail Baryshnikov also attended the ceremony to present Almodóvar with the Chaplin award (Getty Images)

Almodóvar brought up his experiences growing up in Spain under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, crediting the shift to democracy with his growth as a director.

“It is impossible to explain what that feeling of absolute liberty meant for a young person who wanted to make films,” he said.

Dua Lipa, John Turturro, John Waters, Rossy de Palma, and Mikhail Baryshnikov also attended the ceremony to present him with the award, while Martin Scorsese, Tilda Swinton, and Antonio Banderas shared pre-recorded tributes.

“He has a unique vision and his own brand of irreverent humor and a vibrant sense of color that lets you know you’re in for a wild ride, driven by an expert driver,” Turturro said.

“I especially love how you just completely normalised trans and gay roles or storylines, something that feels these days like quite a radical act. And yet there’s a lightness and a heart to everything you do,” said Dua Lipa.