Why Sean Penn thinks Donald Trump “might try to destroy the world”

The two-time Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn appeared in a recent episode of Jim Acosta's podcast, The Jim Acosta Show. The veteran actor, widely known for his intense leading roles, for which he won several accolades, discussed the brand-new film Words of War, which he executive produced, and also touched on various other topics, including world politics.

The 64-year-old actor, who was last seen acting in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, released in 2021, has been focusing more on his journalistic work and activism. The politically vocal actor Penn has always been a strong critic of President Donald Trump and his administration. He shared his thoughts on Trump without hesitation and talked about the direction America is currently heading.

According to The Guardian, the Mystic River star, Sean, at a press conference in 2021, criticized Trump for not being able to control and handle the Coronavirus pandemic. Not only that, he also compared him to someone who would open fire on people belonging to several vulnerable communities.

While speaking with Jim Acosta on his podcast, Penn, regarding President Trump and whether he will try to stay in power past his term limit, Sean said:

"We should consider worst case scenarios."

And added:

"(Trump) might try to destroy the world before he ages out of life."

Penn, as we mentioned earlier, is a strong critic of President Trump. As per Mint, in 2024, he slammed the Oscars for avoiding Ali Abbasi's movie The Apprentice, which narrates the story of a young Donald Trump who would go to any extent to become successful. Milk actor Sean called out the Academy for "limiting cultural expressions," as it kept away from the controversial film The Apprentice, which focused on Trump's rise to power.

Senior actor Sean Penn takes a dig at President Trump in Jim Acosta's podcast

While talking to Jim Acosta, the Oscar-winning actor, Penn, was unapologetic regarding his thoughts on President Trump, as he shared his opinion and said:

"I do think it’s a reasonable theory that Donald Trump is not unlike the spouse of someone who leaves him, perhaps for another, who then murders their former partner because if they can’t have her, nobody can. I think Donald Trump and his solipsism may have that relationship with the world and that this destruction is in part a power play, and also a literal intention of his final out."

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Congressman Eric Swalwell, who was also a guest on the podcast along with Penn and another executive producer of Words of War, which was released May 2, 2025, shared his thoughts on Trump as well and said:

"What worries me is if he doesn’t believe there’s somebody who can protect him, you will see him ratchet up what he’s willing to do to the country to protect himself. Our only hope is a Congress that will check it, a press that will report on it, a court that’s independent to rule on it and a town square filled with Americans who say ‘hell no,'”

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