Kelsey Grammer: This Is the Greatest Hope for America

Published: July 1, 2026

By Michaela Gordoni

Kelsey Grammer believes America needs to look back to its foundation.

“This is something I’ve been sorting through for a while now, but I do think the greatest hope for any future wisdom in America has already been written in the actions and words of our Founding Fathers,” the YOUNG WASHINGTON actor explained to Fox News Digital. “We need to look to them for the guidance that they have, that we have today, to become the great nation that they dreamed of.”

He believes that Americans now can still share that dream the founding fathers had.

“It’s a dream that holds up for everyone. No matter what your origin is, the diversity that we all talk about, this is a unifying concept about what greatness is in a nation, and it has to do with us all being equal. And it doesn’t mean there’s an equal result — it just means we have an equal opportunity to carve out our happiness,” he added.

Grammer, who plays Lord Fairfax in the movie YOUNG WASHINGTON, says he has one question for George Washington if he could go back in time and meet him: “Did you really chop down the cherry tree?”

The story about Washington chopping down his father’s cherry tree as a child is unlikely to be true.

“I don’t know,” Grammer said. “I doubt he chopped down a cherry tree unless he thought it was a dying tree. I mean, it would’ve been a pretty silly thing to do.”

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But then again, children often do senseless things.

“What the **** were you thinking?” he joked. “I say that to my sons all the time. That seems to be a universal question for most fathers to their sons, ‘What were you thinking?’”

He believes that our political system should learn a thing or two about Washington.

“George Washington was not particularly tolerant of fools,” he told Page Six. “He stood up against stuff that he thought was whimsical, or not particularly focused on what really saves the people… I think he was a fan of small government.”

He knew that he wasn’t perfect, but he never gave up in what he believed in.

“That’s what I’d like to see in Washington, [D.C.], honestly,” Grammer said.

He enjoyed his role as Fairfax, because he was one of the people who saw great potential in Washington at a young age.

“In this film, we see what Fairfax saw — a young man wrestling with responsibility, ambition, failure, and purpose. That humanity is what makes his eventual greatness so inspiring,” he explained. “As this film travels to embassies around the world on the eve of America’s 250th anniversary, I hope audiences are reminded that freedom is not just an inheritance, but a responsibility to be carried forward by every generation.”

Director and writer Jon Erwin told Movieguide® he felt compelled to share Washington’s story.

“Everyone knew the name, not many people knew that story,” he explained. “…I wanted to write some sort of a love letter to America for the 250th anniversary, and that’s what this movie became, and I’m very grateful that it’s coming out on our anniversary.”

Part of Movieguide®’s review of YOUNG WASHINGTON reads, “YOUNG WASHINGTON is a superb movie about the early life and career of future American President, George Washington… At 21, George tries to gain the respect of Virginia’s British overlords by accepting a position as a colonial militia leader. He takes a dangerous mission. However, if he succeeds, the British officers will take the credit, but if he fails, he will be blamed.”

The movie will come out on July 3, just in time for America’s birthday.

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