Almodóvar Warns About ‘Monsters’ Like Trump at Cannes

Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar has urged speaking out against the global crisis and standing firm against “monsters” like Trump and Netanyahu.

During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker on Wednesday called for a reaction to the crises facing the world, describing this attitude as a moral duty in the face of “monsters” such as U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Creators must raise their voices. Silence and fear are symptoms that things are going wrong. They are a sign that democracy is crumbling,” he criticized.

The Oscar winner emphasized that “as Europeans, we are obliged to be a kind of shield against these monsters like (U.S. President Donald) Trump and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.”

The Spanish filmmaker added that “Europe must never submit to Trump,” which drew loud applause from the international press gathered there.

A new poll has revealed that the popularity of the U.S. president’s immigration policies has reached its lowest level, amid the ongoing ICE crisis.

He also pointed out that “we are obligated because here we do obey international laws. In Europe, there are laws, so Trump must know that there is a limit to all his delusions and madness.”

The director also displayed a “Free Palestine” pin, reinforcing the political stance he has shown recently.

This is not the first time Almodóvar has openly criticized the 79-year-old U.S. president. In May 2025, while receiving the Chaplin Award at Lincoln Center in New York, he stated in his speech that he had wondered whether it was “appropriate” to visit the United States, a country “governed by a narcissistic authority that does not respect human rights.”

Later, in his acceptance speech, he declared that Trump “will go down in history as a catastrophe.”

Other creatives at Cannes also took aim at Trump, particularly Javier Bardem, an acclaimed Spanish actor and producer, who criticized both Trump and Netanyahu for their “toxic macho behavior.”