Trump gives questionable response on Robert Redford's death following actor's 'dictator-like' comments about him

Donald Trump has given a somewhat strange response after learning of Robert Redford's death.

On Tuesday (September 16), Hollywood mourned the loss of one of its great actors.

Redford, famed for his movie roles throughout the 1960s and 1970s, earned his stripes on screen in iconic classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men.

The 89-year-old bagged several accolades during his career too, including an Oscar, which he won for directing the movie Ordinary People, a BAFTA and five Golden Globes while Time Magazine tipped him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014.

Tragically, his publicist revealed the actor had passed away at his Utah home yesterday, surrounded by loved ones.

Redford died in his Utah home on Tuesday (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

Now, President Trump has weighed in on the tragedy, interestingly appearing to tread cautiously, considering Redford's savage criticism of the POTUS over the years.

Beyond starring in and making movies, Redford was also known for his activism and was considered a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn't the biggest fan of Trump and wrote at length how he believed the Republican posed a 'dictator-like attack' on the US, among some other fiery criticism.

When informed of the loss while departing the White House for his UK state visit, Trump told journalists: "Robert Redford was great; he had a series of years where there was nobody better."

Although the 79-year-old didn't address Redford's condemnation of him, when told he had passed away in his sleep, Trump simply replied: "That's a good way to go, I guess."

He also refrained from naming his favorite Redford movie, saying instead: "Well, you have a lot of them … I’d say he made seven or eight great movies, they were really great. There was a period of time when he was the hottest.

“I thought he was great.”

The questionable response comes as The Sting star once described Trump as someone who 'degrades everything he touches' in an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2019.

Trump made the remark before leaving for the UK (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“It is painfully clear we have a president who degrades everything he touches, a person who does not understand (or care?) that his duty is to defend our democracy,” he explained further.

In another op-ed for NBC News that same year, he said the dictator comment before arguing that his home country has 'lost its place as a world leader' amid Trump's presidency in a 2020 piece for CNN.

Cindi Berger, chief executive of the public relations firm Rogers & Cowan PMK, said in a statement: "Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah ― the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved."

The area is what inspired him to create the Sundance Film Festival, which has taken place every year in Utah for more than three decades.

"He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy," Berger added.