Actor Ian Ziering Has Displayed Some Questionable Political Leanings in the Past

The Gist:

• We break down what we know about Ian Ziering's stance on politics.
• The Beverly Hills, 90210 actor has teased his right-wing leanings in the past.
• He and his daughter were caught up in an assault in December 2023.

Have you ever suddenly thought about what someone from your past is up to these days? Then you go to look them up on the internet and you become gobsmacked to find out that their opinions and stance on politics can be completely polarizing.

It can come as a shock if it's an old high school buddy or college roommate, but it's especially surprising when this sort of thing happens with a notable star of 1990s television. So much for that radical nostalgia.

Case in point, there's Ian Ziering. The former Beverly Hills, 90210 star has been gainfully employed since his time on the show. He's provided plenty of voice work for classic cartoons and has even starred in several installments of the Sharknado film franchise. But after he was caught up in a bout of physical assault during a traffic incident, people have become curious about his stance on politics. Unfortunately, his right-wing stance may be one of the worst-kept secrets ever.

Ian has teased his political opinions in the past, although he may not have known it at the time. In late 2014, he showed his support for Donald Trump after he teased his intentions to run for president.

In response to Trump's tweet, Ian replied, "Go for it, Mr. Trump. You're the kind of leader that gets things done."

Ian would double down on his sentiments for Trump in 2016, shortly after he announced his campaign for the U.S. presidency. After having appeared on Season 7 of Celebrity Apprentice in 2015, Ian spoke with PEOPLE Magazine about his thoughts on Trump overall.

In the 2016 interview, Ian admitted to the outlet, "I got some great lessons from him. He steered me in the direction that revealed some skill sets from me that I never knew I possessed that I've been able to capitalize on."

When asked about Trump's then-campaign for president, Ian answered, "The whole politics thing is a whole other area that I don't know what to make of."

While Ian was strategically coy about his answer, his glowing reviews of Trump's leadership as a businessman may just say a lot about how he feels about him as a politician.

Ian's political remarks have been scarce on social media since his interview with PEOPLE, although he did share his thoughts on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict currently taking place as of this writing. After having been the victim of assault, however, he has taken to Instagram to "urge city officials and law enforcement to take decisive action against such lawlessness."

Many have used Ian's post as a platform to encourage him to cast his vote for certain politicians during upcoming elections.