Social media platforms have been circulating a quote falsely attributed to actor Matthew McConaughey, suggesting he expressed strong admiration for Donald Trump, calling him a "great friend" and a "better president." The fabricated quote, which claims McConaughey has "never met anyone braver, smarter, or who cares more about America than Donald Trump," emerged as criticism of Trump intensified.
A thorough investigation found no credible reports from major news or entertainment outlets that published such a statement from McConaughey. Instead, searches for the quote revealed similar claims incorrectly attributed to Mick Jagger, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones. It appears this quote originated from social media and blogs that utilize AI tools to generate sensationalized content about public figures.
While McConaughey has not made the attributed statements, he did, in 2017, encourage cooperation with the then-president. Speaking on the BBC’s ‘Andrew Marr Show’ to promote his film Gold, McConaughey was asked about Hollywood stars with left-leaning views and their approach to Trump. He responded, "They don’t have a choice now. He’s our president and… at the same time, it’s time for us to embrace, shake hands with this fact and be constructive with him over the next four years.” He emphasized the importance of being constructive, stating, "No matter how much you disagreed along the way, it’s time to think about how constructive can you be, because he’s our president for the next four years – at least – president of the United States.”