Donald Trump, pictured here in 2015.
Isaac Brekken/Stringer
There are over two dozen categories at the Academy Awards, but the big winner of this year’s Oscars was undoubtedly South Korean flick Parasite. Not only did it score Best Picture, but it also won statues for Best Director, Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay. Which film wins Best Picture is always controversial, and one person who’s not about Parasite’s victory is the president of the United States.
“How bad were the Academy Awards this year?” President Donald Trump asked the crowd at a Colorado rally on Thursday, reports Variety. “The winner is… a movie from South Korea! What the hell was that about?”
Trump proceeded to object to Parasite’s Oscar wins not based on the quality of the film itself, which he appears not to have seen. Rather, he’s more interested in the US’ balance sheet with South Korea — and taking his “America first” approach to the film industry.
“We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of that, they give them best movie of the year? Was it good? I don’t know. Let’s get Gone With the Wind. Can we get Gone With the Wind back, please?”
Parasite is the first foreign film ever to win the Best Picture nod. It’s also the first international-language movie to win a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Beyond critical acclaim — 96 on Metacritic and 99% on Rotten Tomatoes — it’s also been a huge success at the box office. It’s made over $200 million at the global box office, almost 20 times its $11 million budget.
The Oscars is becoming an annual punching bag for Trump, as the president has consistently found issue with the award ceremony. Last year, Trump criticized Spike Lee’s Oscars speech (after winning Best Adapted Screenplay) a “racist hit on your president.” In 2018, Trump mocked the show with a tweet saying it was the lowest-rated Oscars in history (it was). It’s not a one-way street though, as 2017’s show was noted for its stream of anti-Trump pronouncements from celebrities and award winners.