Renowned for his portrayal of the young Republican character Alex P. Keaton in the NBC sitcom Family Ties, Michael J. Fox has recently offered his insights into the character’s political stance in today’s society. In a Variety interview, the esteemed actor conveyed his belief that Alex P. Keaton would no longer align himself with the Republican Party. Even prior to the presidency of Donald Trump and the tumultuous events of the January 6 riot, Fox suggested that the character would have distanced himself from the GOP.
Fox went on to explain that Alex P. Keaton would perceive the political landscape as a division between “normal people” and “crazy, fascist weirdos,” rather than a simple dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats. Throughout the show’s successful run spanning from 1982 to 1989, the character demonstrated a strong admiration for Republican leaders like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, immersing himself in conservative media outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser.
According to Breitbart:
“He would have left,” Fox said. “I don’t think Alex would even see Republican and Democrat now. He’d see normal people and crazy, fascist weirdos.”
On Family Ties, Alex P. Keaton was a big fan of Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. He regularly read The Wall Street Journal and watched Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser.
Fox told Variety that he was sometimes a “jerk” during the run of Family Ties, which aired on NBC from 1982 to 1989.
“You just want to slap me. You just want to go, ‘Shut up, sit down, have a Diet Coke and relax and sit in the corner,’” Fox told Variety.
Fox, who has suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for three decades, recently told Jane Pauley on CBS Sunday Morning that the disease is getting worse and he doesn’t expect to live to 80.
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s getting harder,” Fox, 61, said. “It’s getting tougher. Every day gets tougher. But that’s the way it is. I mean, who do I see about that?”
Considering the potential risks associated with making explicit claims about Alex P. Keaton’s political alignment in the present-day, it is understandable that Michael J. Fox would be cautious in avoiding direct associations with current politics. Making definitive statements about Keaton’s hypothetical support for Donald Trump could have significant political implications.
However, Fox did acknowledge that the character held a strong admiration for Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. Notably, these past leaders are often compared to Trump in terms of their political style and ideology, thus adding an interesting layer to Keaton’s character and potential political inclinations.
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