Matthew McConaughey has made multiple headlines recently, as the Dallas Buyers Club actor took to X on Sunday urging Americans to seriously consider independent candidates in the 2026 midterms. The fifty-six-year-old posted a six-minute video on the platform, openly arguing that both major parties have held too firm a grip on the political process for too long. “Treat ’em like a potential winner because they can be,” he said.McConaughey argued that choosing an independent candidate wasn’t a vote wasted. “Independents belong in the fight. Not as a protest, not as a spoiler, but as a real and potential winner on the ballot and considered seriously by us,” he shared. He also pushed back on the idea that being independent meant being moderate. “Independent does not mean you’re middle of the road. Independent is the original road. Before there was ever a Republican or Democrat, there was an American,” he explained.That being said, McConaughey’s latest video quickly stirred up an older conversation on social media. As per a report shared by The Wrap, back in February 2017, Matthew McConaughey had addressed Americans who were still frustrated with Donald Trump’s presidency in those early months following the inauguration. “It’s time for us to embrace, shake hands with this guy and be constructive with him over the next four years,” he said.Matthew McConaughey called for true independents to act:Matthew McConaughey leaves the field following a game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns at Cotton Bowl on October 10, 2026 in Dallas, Texas - Source: GettyIn his six-minute video, McConaughey was careful to draw a clear line between what he was and wasn’t doing. He made it known upfront that he had no interest in pushing voters toward any specific name on the ballot.“I am not here today to endorse a candidate or a party,” he said. “I am here endorsing two things: fairness and reality. See, I believe in a fair fight, and a fair fight is not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years. A fair fight is when the fighters who oughta be represented in the fight are actually in the fight,” he added.As a University of Texas alum and self-confessed Longhorns fanatic, Matthew McConaughey leaned on a football metaphor to drive his point home. “Independents keep the game between the 40s where most of America actually lives. Independents don’t just have leverage, they actually are the leverage,” he shared.As per a report shared by CNN, a poll released in June revealed that forty-seven percent of voters do not identify as a Democrat or Republican, with independents rising by ten percent since President Donald Trump’s first term. Matthew McConaughey ultimately shared his vision for what a handful of true independents in the Senate could accomplish, describing them as the “toll booth” where overly partisan measures would get stopped.Matthew McConaughey acknowledged Hollywood’s deep divisions over Trump’s inauguration:Camila Alves McConaughey and Matthew McConaughey attend a Special Screening of Apple Original Films' "The Lost Bus" at The Curzon Mayfair on September 28, 2025 in London, England - Source: GettyDuring his appearance on the U.K.’s The Andrew Marr Show in 2017, McConaughey didn’t shy away from addressing the friction that had gripped Hollywood following Trump’s inauguration. The actor acknowledged that not everyone in the industry shared his measured outlook.“It’s a very dynamic and as divisive of an inauguration and time that we’ve ever had,” he said.That being said, McConaughey made his own position clear. He urged even the most vocal critics to shift their focus toward what came next.“No matter how much you disagreed along the way, it’s time to think about how constructive you can be because he’s our president for the next four years at least,” he added.For Matthew McConaughey, the debate over whether to accept Trump’s presidency wasn’t really up for discussion. He kept it short.“They don’t have a choice now. He’s our president,” he said.