Fact Check: Clint Eastwood Purportedly Said Dems Would Have Built a Border Wall Years Ago if 'Illegal People' Voted for Republicans. Here's the Truth

Claim:

Clint Eastwood said, "This is a FACT: If illegal people that are in our country voted for Republicans, the Democrats would have built a border wall years ago."

Rating:

On May 28, 2024, X user @NikkiPreston107 posted that legendary Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood once made a remark about Republicans, Democrats and the prospect of a southwest U.S. border wall.

The quote in the posted meme read, "This is a FACT: if illegal people that are in our country voted for Republicans, the Democrats would have built a border wall years ago."

In 2018, Relevant Magazine reported former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. once posted the same meme and added the caption, "Love this quote by Clint Eastwood."

First, to be clear, noncitizens, including permanent legal residents, cannot vote in federal, state and most local elections (USA.gov offers more details about who can and cannot vote in U.S. elections).

As for the Eastwood quote meme, Snopes found no documentary record of the quote in any books, newspapers, online searches or social media posts with proof he or any other famous person ever said those words. Online users misattributed the quote to Eastwood.

It's unclear who originally created the meme featuring the bogus quote alongside the picture of Eastwood. We also don't know when or where the meme's creator first posted the image. It's possible the meme's creator only included Eastwood's photo as an example of a serious face next to the political thought. Then, on later dates, other users incorrectly assumed Eastwood's inclusion in the meme must have meant the quote originated with him.

Quote-meme creators sometimes exploit the names and/or photos of actors who audiences believe might "tell it like it is," whether or not there is evidence those actors spoke the words in question. Popular examples of such actors include Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Denzel Washington, among others.

For further reading, we previously reported about another quote shared with Eastwood's name, claiming he once penned an opinion piece favorable to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The piece began with the words, "I love when people call Trump stupid."

Sources:

"Did Jerry Falwell Jr. Share a Bogus Clint Eastwood Quote Shaming Undocumented Immigrants?" Relevant Magazine, 5 June 2018, https://relevantmagazine.com/current/nation/why-did-jerry-falwell-jr-share-a-bogus-clint-eastwood-quote-shaming-undocumented-immigrants/.

"Who Can and Cannot Vote." USA.gov, https://www.usa.gov/who-can-vote.