George Takei slams Donald Trump's so-called 'traditional view' of marriage

George Takei
(Image credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images)

Former Star Trek star George Takei and MSNBC's The Last Word host Lawrence O'Donnell agree that there's nothing especially "traditional" about Donald Trump's view of marriage — come on, the man's been married three times! But during an appearance on The Last Word, Takei was able to offer the insider scoop to O'Donnell.

Takei had formerly appeared on the fifth season of Celebrity Apprentice, and during a press conference for the show, Takei — himself an LGBT activist — asked Trump to discuss marriage equality over lunch. Trump, to his surprise, agreed. During the lunch, Trump further surprised Takei by revealing he'd just come from the gay wedding of a "very important Broadway personality."

"He said, 'You know what, George, I just came from a gay marriage,' and he told me, 'They are good friends of mine, it was a beautiful marriage,'" Takei said. "And I said, 'Then why can't you support marriage equality? You go to weddings of same-sex couples.' And he said, 'Well, I'm for traditional marriage.'"

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But Trump's own marital history is "not traditional," according to Takei, who himself has been wedded to his husband, Brad Altman, for seven of their 27 years together.

"I think Donald Trump's interpretation of marriage is something that he really himself doesn't really believe in," Takei said.

Takei added that he believes Trump could come around on his so-called "traditional marriage" opinion, though. "He's a businessman," Takei said. "I think he's capable of saying anything that will be good for business or in whatever situation he should find himself in." Watch the full interview below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.