Say what you will about Scott Baio, but he had the foresight to hitch his wagon to the Trump train back at the Republican National Convention and it has simply done wonders for his career. He probably hasn’t gotten any new roles out of it, and it’ll probably make it harder for him to get more roles in the future. But his name is in the news these days.
Anyway, with Baio now enjoying a surge back into relevancy, the media is now obligated to pay attention to his stupid opinions on shit. That brings us to Variety, which recently put together a story on how celebrities feel about the upcoming Trump presidency and decided to include Baio among the mostly liberal participants (the cover features Lena Dunham putting an arm around Michael Moore, if that tells you anything). Naturally, Baio is pretty hyped about the next four years, and he thinks anyone worried about the horrible ways Trump will destroy the country should just “grow up.”
“I was nervous for eight years with Obama,” he says, “I had to suck it up and deal with it. Do the same, and maybe your country will be a better place than it was.” He’s hoping Trump will follow through on his promises to lower taxes, defeat ISIS, and build a wall along the Mexican border—presumably so illegal immigrants will stop stealing his acting jobs—but mostly he wants Trump to act as an inspiration to younger generations. “I hope they learn from Trump that hard work gets you what you want and what you need,” he says, referring to the man who got where he is today because of a $14 million loan from his dad, with Baio adding that “it’s not about safe spaces and wearing a safety pin and hugging a puppy.”
Mostly, though, Baio likes Trump because “he grabs you,” which does sound like something the president-elect would enjoy. Really, it’s almost as if Trump is able to (metaphorically) “grab” people because he’s a celebrity, like his status gives him the confidence to just get right up next to them and do whatever he wants (metaphorically). In a way, we’ve all been grabbed by Trump, some people more literally than others (allegedly).