Jane Fonda says she sometimes lies awake at night imagining what she would say if she were face to face with President Donald Trump—and her answer might surprise critics.
During a recent appearance on Kara Swisher’s podcast On with Kara Swisher, the Oscar-winning actress opened up about her late-night thought experiments involving the president. Rather than envisioning a heated argument, Fonda said she would try to appeal to something deeper.
“I would try to touch his heart,” she explained, adding that she believes behavior often reflects unresolved trauma. Fonda suggested that understanding the emotional roots behind a person’s actions can be more productive than reacting with anger.
Drawing from her decade-long relationship with media mogul Ted Turner, Fonda said she feels she has insight into navigating strong personalities. In her view, it is possible to reject behavior without hating the person behind it.
She acknowledged that this perspective has not always gone over well. Fonda noted that when she previously said she did not hate Trump during an appearance on The View, it upset co-host Joy Behar. Still, Fonda stood by her stance, arguing that holding onto hatred only harms the person carrying it.
Fonda also extended her comments beyond Trump, saying she views certain powerful figures as individuals struggling internally. She framed what the public sees as manifestations of deeper emotional wounds.
The actress has consistently promoted empathy in her public speeches. When accepting the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2025, she urged audiences not to confuse empathy with weakness. She argued that caring about others, even political opponents, should not be dismissed as naive or overly “woke.”
Fonda’s remarks have already sparked reaction online, with some praising her measured tone and others questioning her approach. But if there is one thing she made clear, it is this: in her imagined conversations with the president, she would not lead with anger.
