Director Spike Lee made a series of bold statements during his CNN appearance Thursday, bashing President Donald Trump and praising Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but it was perhaps his clothing choice that spoke the loudest about his views of the current president.

The network’s Anderson Cooper took immediate notice of Lee’s t-shirt, which read “God protect Robert Mueller,” and the actor explained the message had deep meaning.

“There’s a history in this country,” he said, though it was unclear the particular history to which he was referring. “So I just hope God puts his hands on him and he gets to do what he has to do, to the end.”

Lee, who directed BlacKkKlansman, a new film on the true story of a black detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, also spoke about his work on the movie and the personal significance it holds, before the conversation turned back to the Trump administration.

Cooper asked whether Lee would ever sit down with Trump, to which the actor gave a hard pass, adding that he refuses to call him by his name.

“He’s Agent Orange,” Lee said, crediting the name to his colleague. “Got it from Busta Rhymes. Shoutout to Brooklyn, Busta.”

Lee also made clear that he didn’t even consider Trump to be the president, suggesting it “might be Putin instead.”

“You look kind of shook,” he told Cooper, who seemed taken aback.

“I’m a little shook,” Cooper responded, adding that he “was shaken by the film,” turning the discussion away from the White House.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

[Image via screengrab]

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