Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston issued a scathing critique of Donald Trump, who he said has “blatantly” turned the presidency into a tool for his own “financial reward.”
Without actually naming the 80-year-old president, Cranston torched Trump’s various cash grabs. The Emmy-winning actor made his assessment during a conversation with Vanity Fair, in which the publication asked several actors—including Jeff Daniels and Kiefer Sutherland—about their experience portraying presidents onscreen.
Cranston discussed his award-winning depiction of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 2012’s Broadway play All the Way, and 2016’s film adaptation of the same name, intertwining criticism of the current administration with his reflections.
The presidency has become “a privileged opportunity for a clever person to reap a windfall of financial reward—after they leave the presidency,” he told the outlet. “At least, that was usually the aim. But today it’s done more blatantly, while the commander in chief is still situated behind the Resolute Desk.”
Trump has seen his income soar during his second presidency. In 2025, the president collected a whopping $2.2 billion, which included more than $1.4 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency ventures.
The president has claimed “everyone is profiting,” despite his war in Iran raising costs and increasingly putting pressure on everyday Americans.
“Lyndon Johnson served as president 60 years ago,” Cranston also said. “Upon reflection, Johnson is most commonly remembered by his failures in foreign affairs—especially Vietnam. That is a record of history his legacy must own, despite all his domestic achievements during his five years as president, most notably the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” Trump has sought to limit both Acts through executive orders.
“These were towering accomplishments that broke the back of Jim Crow laws that existed for nearly 100 years after the Civil War,” Cranston added. “Different times. But the problems were as large and complex then as they are now.”
The actor went on to say that despite the issues with power and politics through the years, “being of service to your country was still the leading principle.”
“That now seems to be a relic from a bygone era,” he said, in another apparent dig at the president.
Cranston also hit Trump for the increased polarization of American politics. “What also appears missing from the 1960s politician is a sense of decency and respect toward others you may disagree with. It was customary to see block-voting down party lines, but there was always some wiggle room to sway needed votes toward or against a specific bill.”
Back then, he said, “Getting bills passed and in front of the president was once an art form in influence and the power of persuasion.”
“Today, Congress is gridlocked by its own stubborn sense of devotion to its particular party, resulting in a stagnation of progress, and most often replaced by a president’s signature on an executive order.”
Cranston ended his comments by imploring lawmakers to “return to the Founding Fathers’ original intention,” and “be in the service of our country.”
