More like you‘re fired, Donald Trump. Actor and activist George Takei is the latest celebrity to call out the GOP presidential candidate for making offensive comments about minority groups — and his message is deeply personal. Takei, 78, who was fired by Trump from Celebrity Apprentice back in 2012, replied to the mogul’s recent remarks to Time magazine about Japanese-American internment camps.
The California-born star, best known for his portrayal of Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, was 5 years old when he and his family were taken to an imprisonment camp in Arkansas, where they remained for four years during World War II. Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor 74 years ago, 110,000 Japanese-Americans were taken to internment camps scattered across the country. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, Takei took to his Facebook to bring up his painful past, and encouraged Trump to learn more about one of the most controversial points in U.S. history.
Takei is currently starring in the Broadway musical Allegiance, which was inspired by his own personal experience at the camps. On his Facebook, the actor posted a video of himself dressed in his Allegiance costume.
“Mr. Trump, it’s me, George Takei. You fired me from Celebrity Apprentice, remember?” he said. “You’ve been out campaigning for President and you’ve said some things that have many people worried, not just because you’ve said them, but because of the number of Americans who seem to agree with you. Recently you told Time magazine that you might have supported the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.”
In his Time interview, Trump, 69, said he didn’t know what he would have done about internment had he been in office during World War II. “I certainly hate the concept of it. But I would have had to be there at the time to give you a proper answer,” the real estate mogul told the mag. “It’s a tough thing. It’s tough. But you know war is tough. And winning is tough. We don’t win anymore. We don’t win wars anymore. We don’t win wars anymore. We’re not a strong country anymore. We’re just so off.”
Takei noted on Facebook that Trump has much to learn about the past. “You said it was a ‘tough’ thing and you would have had to be there. Well, Mr. Trump, I was there. And there’s a way you can be there too,” the Broadway star said. “I’m inviting you to come see Allegiance on Broadway, where we dramatize some of the true events of the internment. So if you want to see how tough it was from the comfort of your seat, you can be there with us in the camps and get a glimpse of what it was like for families like mine who were unjustly imprisoned, thanks to a politics of fear, much like the one you campaign on. So Mr. Trump, come see Allegiance, unless you’re chicken.”
