A coalition of Hollywood celebrities and progressive activists marked America’s 250th anniversary by launching a video campaign urging Americans to oppose President Donald Trump, insisting that the 2026 midterm elections could determine the future of the republic.
The nearly 10-minute video, which debuted through Variety, features dozens of actors, musicians, authors and public figures reading excerpts from historian Timothy Snyder’s 2017 book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.
The project opens with Snyder himself, who frames the upcoming midterm elections as a pivotal moment for the country.
“Today, the Republic is 250 years old,” Snyder says in the video. “As I look ahead to this coming November, I see a turning point for our Republic. A time when things could turn very well, or they could turn very ill indeed.”
Throughout the production, celebrities each recite one of Snyder’s “lessons” for resisting authoritarianism.
Actor Leslie Odom Jr., actress Sheryl Lee Ralph and Holland Taylor deliver the book’s opening lesson, “Do not obey in advance,” while author Isabel Allende and actress Lisa Rinna read another passage warning viewers to “Beware of the one-party state.”
Among those participating are Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ted Danson, Judd Apatow, Billy Porter, Margaret Atwood, Joan Baez, Sophia Bush, Bradley Whitford, Molly Ringwald, Tony Goldwyn, Kimberlé Crenshaw, former Attorney General Eric Holder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa.
“My hope is that after this very bad and corrupt time we are living through now, we move away from a government that caters to the wealthy and powerful and focuses on the needs, desires and dreams of the children and young people,” Mark Ruffalo told Variety.
He also called for abandoning what he described as a “colonial mindset of land theft, extractive economies, domination and materialism.”
Snyder shared the video on social media echoing common left-wing messaging alluding to an aspirational transformation of America rather than offering praise for the country that’s existed for two and a half centuries.
“To celebrate a rebellion is to know that, from a flawed world, we can make new things,” Snyder wrote. “We can hold on, we can find each other, and not just imagine but create a much better America. It is a special 250th—it is ours.”
In an accompanying statement published with the video, Snyder directly criticized the organizers of the federal America 250 celebrations, arguing they represent the very dangers the nation’s founders sought to prevent.
“Sadly, those who lead our official celebration today represent every threat to liberty that the founders named: arbitrary rule; indifference to law; undue accumulation of wealth; corruption of the government to attain that wealth; collusion with foreign powers to attain power,” he wrote.
While the Trump administration has promoted the semiquincentennial as a celebration of American history, patriotism and the nation’s founding ideals, many progressive activists have used the milestone to highlight what they view as the country’s unresolved historical and political failures.
The celebrity campaign also reflects Hollywood’s continued political engagement during Trump’s presidency. Many of the participants have been vocal critics of the president for years, frequently using award shows, interviews and social media platforms to oppose his policies and encourage political activism.
Critics have accused Hollywood celebrities of politicizing what they believe should be a unifying national celebration, arguing that the nation’s 250th anniversary should focus on shared history rather than partisan messaging.
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