Hugh Jackman defended his longtime friendship with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on “The View” Tuesday.

The couple, who Jackman told “The View” he’s known for 15 years, made headlines when they recently attended Jackman’s 50th birthday party.

“They’ve always been so kind and generous,” he said, and recalled Ivanka’s “kindness” when she wrote his late mother-in-law Fay Duncan a handwritten letter when she won the Order of Australia medal for her charity work.

“People question, ‘Really?’ And I’m kinda like, 'OK, let’s say your friends of 15 years’ father became president. Whether you agree with the politics or not, do you just dump your friends?” Jackman said. “I’m like, 'no, no you don’t.' I don’t understand that.”

Jackman stars in new movie “The Front Runner,” which tells the story of scandal derailing Senator Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1988.

Jason Reitman, who wrote and directed the film, tells “The View” the story not only has strong parallels to today’s political environment –- but can also be a way to navigate today’s tense political climate.

“We’re all trying to figure out how the hell we got here and I can’t help but look at the story and see the kind of seeds, the threads that you pull on to get us here,” Reitman said.

He reflected on the consequence Hart faced in 1988 when rumors of an affair caused him to withdraw from the race –- and the parallel to today where President Trump hasn’t faced any serious consequence for sexual misconduct allegations against him.

“It’s so hard to have that conversation in 2018,” Reitman said.

“The volume is at a 12 –- you go onto Twitter, you say one wrong thing… you’re gonna get your head ripped off!” he said.

“What’s nice about a story from 1987 is that we can kinda bring the volume down a little and actually have a conversation about gender politics, about the line between a public and a private life, the relationship between politicians and journalists —- all these things we’re trying to talk about.”

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