Actor Henry Winkler's reaction to claims that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stole a speech from the film Legally Blonde is taking over the internet.
On Tuesday, the Happy Days and Barry star reposted a video from TikTok user @maya2960 to X, formerly Twitter. The clip compared snippets from the final scene of the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde and a Trump commencement speech from 2017.
In the Legally Blonde extract, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is delivering her valedictorian speech during her graduation from Harvard Law School.
"As we take our next step into the world, it is with passion, courage of conviction, and, most importantly, have faith in yourself," Elle tells her fellow graduates. "We did it."
The speech was juxtaposed with Trump's 2017 commencement speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
"You must go forth into the world," the clip begins, before cutting to footage of Trump saying "passion"—although the actual line was "pouring his passion into a tiny college," and was in relation to Liberty University's former chief financial officer and vice president, George Rogers.
"Courage and your conviction," Trump says next in the snippet, before cutting to a clip of the former president telling the audience: "Most importantly, be true to yourself."
The video ends by comparing Elle's "We did it," with Trump saying "I did it." Alongside the juxtaposed clips, @maya2960 added footage of herself laughing along to the similarities in the speeches.
After Winkler shared the clip with his 1.1 million X followers, the video received over 71,000 views. Newsweek has reached out to representatives for Henry Winkler for comment by email.
"We like the same films," Winkler, best known as The Fonz/Fonzie in Happy Days, captioned the post.
In response to the post, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek: "Who is Harry Wankler?"
The 78-year-old actor's post also sparked mixed reactions among X users. Some praised the video, with one user calling the clip, "Hilarious."
"Once a thief always a thief," commented @Deborah66134129.
"They need to put him in JAIL, if he was one of us he would be there right now," Donald Mc Neill added.
"You are such a good and kind man," wrote Thomas Murphy. "So happy to see you involved in the happenings of today."
However, Trump supporters criticized the sitcom star for sharing the video.
"You realize there's only so many things you can say on a graduation speech, right?" posted @Cornholio2025.
"Dude, the first time Fonzie put on a dress I was done with you," wrote J T, while Susie M Mack commented: "TRUMP2024!!!"
Winkler is a vocal critic of Trump. During an appearance in MSNBC in 2017, the actor said the Republican politician was "completely self-obsessed," adding that, "His life's bread, his life's blood is the sound of appreciation, or adulation."
In 2021, Winkler compared Trump to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on Twitter, seemingly suggesting the former president should be assassinated.
"TRUMP is exactly like MUSSOLINI .. his term should end that way," Winkler wrote. The tweet was deleted shortly afterward.
A longtime liberal, Winkler joined other Happy Days stars, including Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham, in 2020 for a virtual reunion on behalf of Democratic Party of Wisconsin in 2020.
On Monday, Winkler reposted X users praising Biden's decision to end his 2024 presidential bid.
The 81-year-old leader dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination, following calls from celebrities and party members concerned about his age and cognitive fitness. The president has instead endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
"An actual hero," read one post shared by Winkler about Biden, while another described him as "a leader putting his country ahead of any personal interest or ambition."
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