Chris Evans got involved in a Twitter dispute with former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke over U.S. President Donald Trump's decisions on Thursday (09Feb17).
The Captain America: The Winter Soldier actor became embroiled in the heated argument after Duke, a former leader of the white supremacist group, wrote a post on his website approving of Trump's picks for chief strategist, national security adviser and Attorney General - Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions respectively - writing that they would help "take America back".
He shared his post on Twitter and Chris hit back, saying Duke was wrong and he couldn't comprehend the recent confirmation of Sessions, who has been dogged with allegations of racism.
"If David Duke....DAVID!...DUKE!... thinks you're right, then you are unequivocally wrong," he tweeted. "The confirmation of @jeffsessions is beyond words."
Duke also fired back, responding with, "Typical dumb actor - if everything I say is wrong, then when I say I oppose these Zionists wars, you must be for them, Captain America!?"
Chris then replied by linking Duke to a list of his apparently racist and homophobic quotes and added, "@DrDavidDuke well if these nuggets of bigotry are some of your OTHER thoughts, then I stand by my original tweet."
A couple of hours later, the actor shared his response and told his fans, "We can't let hatred be the loudest voice."
The exchange earned Chris praise on Twitter, with Grey's Anatomy actress Ellen Pompeo gushing, "@ChrisEvans everybody knows how much I love a Boston guy...now I just love you more... not more than my husband of course," she wrote followed by a peace sign emoji and a face with a tongue sticking out.
Melissa Groben, the daughter of Captain America co-creator Joe Simon, recently told The Hollywood Reporter she was fine with Chris being vocal against Trump's policies, as long people know he isn't speaking as Captain America.
"He is speaking as Chris Evans. And that's the way it should be. His viewpoints are his own," she said.
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