Dick Van Dyke says he's lucky he 'won't be around' for 4 more years of Trump as president

The showbusiness legend, now 98, has endorsed Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris in past election cycles.

Craving an optimistic view of the next four years? Don't turn to Dick Van Dyke.

The 98-year-old icon of stage and screen was recently asked by The Daily Mail if he thinks President-elect Donald Trump is capable of making American great again. His answer? "Fortunately, I won't be around to experience the four years." Ouch.

The entertainer wasn't unrelentingly bleak in the short paparazzi interview. It is Dick Van Dyke after all, the man who's been making America smile since the end of World War II. "Does the future look bright for America?" the cameraman asked, to which Van Dyke offered the somewhat slant response, "I hope you're right."

Reps for Van Dyke did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for clarification.

Van Dyke has been a lifelong supporter of progressive causes and Democratic candidates. "50 years ago, May 31st, 1964, I was on the podium with Dr. Martin Luther King, who was addressing some 60,000 people in the Colosseum in LA," he said in a video posted to his official Instagram on Nov. 4. Van Dyke took the opportunity to throw his weight behind Trump's opponent in the recent election, Vice President Kamala Harris, and he supported the campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020.

Related: Carol Burnett reunites with Carol Burnett Show costar Dick Van Dyke at her Hollywood handprint ceremony

"Another four more years of the current administration and we won't have a democracy anymore," Van Dyke said in a 2020 video in support of Sanders, referring to Trump. "Four more years of no concern about the climate, we must get him out of there."

Van Dyke is the latest in a string of celebrities to speak out against Trump in the wake of his victory in the 2024 election. Singer Billie Eilish referred to Trump's win as a "a war on women" on her Instagram Story, and rapper Cardi B directed her attention to those who voted for the Republican nominee, simply writing on her own Story, "I hate y'all bad." Actress Jamie Lee Curtis was much more verbose on Instagram, writing that "many minority groups and young people will be afraid. Gay and trans people will be more afraid," and "many women will now find it difficult to get the reproductive healthcare that they need and deserve."

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Though Van Dyke seems at peace looking down the barrel of his own mortality, he's still achieving new career milestones. He set a record as the oldest Daytime Emmy winner this year after taking home a trophy for his guest spot on Days of Our Lives. "If I had known I was gonna live this long, I would've taken better care of myself," he joked in his acceptance speech.

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