Jane Fonda delivered a stark warning about the state of the country under Donald Trump, claiming the consequences of his policies are no longer abstract but deadly.
The 88-year-old actress-activist made the remarks on Wednesday night during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“If the government is not meeting the needs of its people, there’s something wrong, right? We’re seeing things happen that have never happened before. This isn’t like it was in the ’40s and ’50s. Authoritarianism has made its way into every single nook and cranny of our government,” she said in response to a question about how Americans can defend their First Amendment rights.
“They are kidnapping people. They are legally deporting American citizens.”
Fonda went on to reference the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minnesota woman Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.
Good was fatally shot during a federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Video and witness accounts show ICE agent Jonathan Ross firing multiple shots into Good’s SUV as she attempted to drive away, striking her and causing the vehicle to crash.
Federal officials have defended the agent’s actions, saying he feared for his safety, while local leaders and video evidence have cast doubt on that account, saying she posed no clear threat.
“Minneapolis, where they shot Ms. Good—they are shooting people. They are blinding people," Fonda said.
“All kinds of really, really bad things are happening. And it’s not a question of right or left. I don’t care what party you belong to. It’s a question of right or wrong. Right?
“I think lines are being crossed. And it’s enough. We’ve had enough. Right? We are the land of the brave. Our loved ones fought and many died for these freedoms. We can’t allow them to be taken away from us, because if we let them go, they won’t be there later when we need them back.”
Fonda urged Americans to respond collectively, stressing that “we have to not be alone” and instead “work with other people in solidarity” by building community.
Fonda’s activism has long rivaled her acting career, dating back to the 1960s, when she was active in the Civil Rights Movement and in protests against the Vietnam War. A controversial visit to North Vietnam in 1972 earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane,” and the lasting enmity of the right.
She has continued to put herself on the front lines in recent years, including multiple arrests in 2019 for climate-change protests in Washington, D.C., and a call to Americans to protest Trump during her SAG Awards speech last year.
Building on that legacy, Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, a revival of the McCarthy-era initiative originally supported by her father, Henry Fonda. The committee, designed to defend free speech from government overreach, now counts more than 550 entertainment figures among its supporters, including Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Natalie Portman, Spike Lee, Pedro Pascal, Ben Stiller, Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, and Billie Eilish.
Fonda framed the effort as a defense of fundamental rights: “The McCarthy Era ended when Americans from across the political spectrum finally came together and stood up for the principles in the Constitution against the forces of repression. Those forces have returned. And it is our turn to stand together in defense of our constitutional rights. We refuse to stand by and let that happen.”
The committee’s revival comes as free speech concerns gain new urgency in Hollywood, including controversies like Disney’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after pressure from the Trump-appointed FCC chair, Brendan Carr.
