As Tim Allen gears up to debut “Last Man Standing” Season 7 on a new network, questions about his personal politics have come front and center. In a recent interview, after months of vague political questions, the star clarified his stance on President Trump.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Allen was asked point-blank about his political views after previously saying that his conservative values were the reason for public criticism of him as well as ABC’s decision to cancel “Last Man Standing” despite high ratings.
“Politically I’m kind of an anarchist if you see my stand-up. I’m for responsible government that actually does what we pay them to do,” the 65-year-old star said. “I’ve worked different jobs and I’ve had a colorful past and I pay a lot in taxes. I wish we got more for our money. Whatever political party is for more responsible use of our money — that’s all I meant.”
Despite never officially endorsing Donald Trump, many of Allen’s detractors label him as a staunch supporter. However, the star also clarified his more nuanced view of politics with regard to the president.
“You know … it’s a very loaded question. I’ve met [Trump] at [a] charity event years ago, and that certainly doesn’t fit with the man who tweets. I’ve met a lot of people in private whose public persona is a bit off. My perception is 'let’s see what he gets done.' Let’s stop banging on the pilot’s door and trying to pull the guy out of his seat while he’s still flying. You might not like how he’s flying the plane but let’s let him land it,” Allen told the outlet. “Do I like him or agree with him? … I don’t know. Somebody got this NAFTA thing done. How did that happen? It’s like a slight of hand with this dude. There’s this smoke and smelly food but over here he just fixed a pothole.”
Allen went on to stress that despite how politicized a show like “Last Man Standing” has become in a post-”Roseanne” TV climate, those tuning into Season 7 on Fox will not be viewing a show about politics. Instead, he said, it’s a show about a family with a conservative-leaning dad dealing with family issues.
"Last Man Standing" premieres Sept. 28 on Fox.