High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! On Thursday, August 30, 2012, American actor and director Clint Eastwood gave a speech at the Republican National Convention. Eastwood had endorsed Mitt Romney for the 2012 United States presidential election earlier that month. Eastwood spent much of his speech time on a largely improvised routine addressing an empty chair representing President Barack Obama. The speech, broadcast in a prime time slot, was viewed live by about 30 million Americans. It met with a wide array of responses and stirred discussion.