DAVOS, Switzerland: Movie star Matt Damon said Wednesday he was grudgingly rooting for Donald Trump to make a success of his presidency, despite Hollywood’s opposition to the Republican billionaire.
“I would like to see him be successful, I really would,” Damon told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Swiss ski resort where movers and shakers from the political and business worlds are holed up this week.
“Obviously it’s no secret that I didn’t vote for him,” said the 46-year-old star of the “Jason Bourne” spy series.
But he added: “I wish him well, and we all must. A successful American president is good for all of us.”
Damon defended fellow A-lister Meryl Streep over her verbal brawl with the US president-elect, who labelled her “one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood” after she used an awards speech to trash him.
“He’s right, she’s totally overrated as an actress,” Damon joked, before adding: “I thought what she said about bullying was very important... Bullying people with less power is unhealthy, and it’s behavior that children will model.”
Damon said he was still nervous about what the next four years will bring now that Trump is about to become “the most consequential person on the planet.”
He drew reference to the “beautiful handwritten note” that George H.W. Bush wrote in 1993 to Bill Clinton as the then president handed over to his Democratic successor, which read, “I am rooting for you.”
“It was just the most graceful and wonderful and heartfelt sentiment, and I think that’s what, in this moment, we all have to be feeling,” Damon said.
Matt Damon grudgingly roots for Trump
Matt Damon grudgingly roots for Trump
Sydney man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags
- The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said
SYDNEY: A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.
The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.
A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.
The animals — including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks — were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.
“Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes,” the statement said.
The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.
Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.
The New South Wales government’s environment department said that “the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime,” harming conservation and stripping the state “and Australia of its unique biodiversity.”
