Brigitte Bardot Had Some Strong Words For 'Despot' Donald Trump During His First Term

Brigitte Bardot quite literally addressed the elephant in the room back in 2017, following a divisive Donald Trump decision to ease the import ban on elephant-hunting trophies from Zimbabwe, which sparked backlash from numerous animal rights activists, including the iconic actor. According to RFI, the French starlet wrote a letter to Trump to express exactly how she felt about him. "No despot in the world can take responsibility for killing off an age-old species that is part of the world heritage of humanity," Bardot penned at the time, before also heavily criticizing "Zimbabwe's crazy dictator" himself for the "cruel decision."  

However, she quickly turned her attention back to Trump, stating, "Your shameful actions confirm the rumors that you are unfit for office." Notably, during a 2012 chat with Vanity Fair, the legendary sex symbol claimed that she wasn't a member of any political party, clarifying, "All of my causes, including the most radical, are motivated by the defense of animals." And part of that strong belief system repeatedly landed her in the public's bad books. Back in 2009, Bardot wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin, deeming him the "president of my heart" after he imposed a ban on the hunting of young seals, per The Globe and Mail. 

Discussing her praise of the controversial Russian leader with Vanity Fair, Bardot, who left Hollywood behind to focus on animal rights activism, admitted that she had no qualms about coming across as a conservative in her mission to champion animal welfare. Despite all her claims, however, the late screen siren's ideologies were widely considered to be far-right. And some of her most controversial views even got Bardot in trouble with the law.

Much like Donald Trump, Brigitte Bardot was no stranger to making inflammatory remarks about immigrants. In her 2003 book "A Cry in the Silence," she expressed her disdain for how immigration had supposedly brought about the "Islamisation of France." The starlet also had strong ties with the National Front, the far-right French political party that is totally opposed to immigration. On six separate occasions over the years, Bardot was convicted of violating France's hate-speech laws with her racist remarks, primarily targeted at Muslims. 

Trump and Bardot were also aligned in their cynicism about the MeToo movement. In a 2018 interview with Paris Match, which was translated by France 24, the legendary actor spoke about the grave accusations that had been leveled against Hollywood executives, opining, "The vast majority are being hypocritical and ridiculous." Bardot also said that women had tried to "play the tease with producers to get a role" and then turned around and accused them of harassment. The bombshell proclaimed that she found comments from men about her body "charming" too. 

The celeb who became completely unrecognizable through the years was also notably one of 100 women to sign a letter condemning the MeToo movement as a "witch-hunt," which just so happens to be one of President Trump's favorite words. As for the outspoken Republican politician, he publicly labeled the movement "very dangerous" because it apparently completely flipped the "innocent until proven guilty" ideology (via CBC News). Bardot's views irrevocably affected her legacy as an animal rights activist and an actor when she died at the age of 91 in December 2025.