At this point, it’s hard to find a Hollywood celebrity who hasn’t openly trashed President Donald Trump’s efforts to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
And one of the most attention-grabbing comments of all came from “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David, who remarked after a UFC event on the White House South Lawn that it made him “embarrassed” to be an American.
While his remark received some nods from others on the left, one contrarian Democrat was willing to call out David’s over-the-top reaction.
As Fox News reported:
“I’d say lighten up, Francis,” Fetterman said, quoting a famous line from the 1981 movie, “Stripes.”
The quote originates from a famous scene in which a character named Francis — played by Conrad Dunn — tells his fellow soldiers during Army basic training that he wants to be referred to as “Psycho,” instead of his given name.
The request prompts Sgt. Hulka — played by Warren Oates — to quip, “Lighten up, Francis.”
The callback to the Bill Murray-fronted film drew confusion from the TMZ reporter, who repeatedly asked Fetterman about the reference.
Fetterman went on to tell David to “get over himself,” as he slammed the comedian for expressing his embarrassment over the event.
“Hey, I’m proud to be an American, and if you are embarrassed or whatever because of a UFC thing, get over yourself, dude,” Fetterman added.
If you missed the broader reaction David’s initial comment, here’s some more of the backlash:
The real joke is that he’s always hated America.
— David Santa Carla 🦇 (@TheOnlyDSC) June 24, 2026
Something tells me he prefers the Transformers at the White House. pic.twitter.com/BNTLOc7OFa
— Casual_Hex1036 (@Logicalone) June 24, 2026
America is embarrassed that he’s American too. pic.twitter.com/0U8DiBTt3R
— Honest A-Hole (@Honest_A_hole) June 24, 2026
Being American isn’t what he should feel embarrassed about
— Taylor Silverman (@tmsilverman) June 24, 2026
Joy Behar on ABC’s “The View,” however, was apparently sold on David’s assessment, as the Washington Times reported:
“I have to say that I’m embarrassed for this country, the way he’s been treating immigrants,” she said. “He’s been separating kids from their families.”
Ms. Behar went on to invoke her own Italian-American heritage, saying her family immigrated from southern Italy roughly a century ago and that Italian Americans are among the most patriotic people in the country precisely because of what their ancestors found when they arrived.
“And now he treats immigrants the way he treats them,” she added. “And, of course, Larry is embarrassed to be an American. In that way, we should all be.”
Here’s the full clip of Fetterman’s reaction:
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