Trump blames Oscars fail on show’s political tone
President Donald Trump on Monday said the chaos that erupted at the end of the Oscars was due to Hollywood obsessing about him rather than concentrating on running a smooth show.
In an Oval Office interview with conservative website Breitbart News, Trump said the organisers of the Oscars had taken their eyes off the ball because they “were focused on politics.”
“It was a little sad. It took away from the glamour of the Oscars,” he told the site, previously managed by Steve Bannon, who now serves as Trump’s chief White House strategist.
“It didn’t feel like a very glamorous evening. I’ve been to the Oscars. There was something very special missing and then to end that way was sad.”
Trump’s comments came after Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly presented the best picture statuette at the climax of the ceremony to La La Land, when Moonlight was the real winner.
The mix-up, which made for a chaotic end to ABC’s telecast of the show, has been described as one of the most embarrassing moments in Oscars history.
With the dust settling on the controversy, the finger of blame has settled on PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) partner Brian Cullinan, responsible, along with colleague Martha Ruiz, for ensuring each awards presenter was handed the correct envelope.
Cullinan pulled the envelope that was supposed to be for best picture winner from the wrong pile, the company said.
“He is very upset about this mistake. And it is also my mistake,
It didn’t feel like a very glamorous evening. There was something very special missing.
our mistake and we all feel very bad,” said Tim Ryan, PwC’s US chair, according to trade magazine, Variety.
Trump had been the target of light-hearted jokes and serious derision throughout the night as Oscar-winners railed against his immigration policies.
But the president doesn’t explain in the interview why he thinks the jokes at his expense led to the unrelated error.
Breitbart, one of several news outlets favoured by the US’s white nationalist extremist fringe, said the comments came in a lengthy interview covering healthcare, tax cuts, immigration and a variety of other topics. – AFP
Donald Trump President of the United States