David Lynch walks back Trump praise: 'You are causing suffering'

'This quote which has travelled around was taken a bit out of context and would need some explaining,' the director wrote in a Facebook post

David Lynch says he was misquoted about US president Donald Trump, in which an article claimed he said that Trump could go down as one of the greatest presidents in United States history. AFP

David Lynch accused US president Donald Trump on Tuesday of "causing suffering and division" as the filmmaker clarified what looked like a glowing endorsement days earlier.

Lynch shocked liberal Hollywood when he told The Guardian newspaper in an interview published Saturday that Trump could go down as one of the greatest presidents in US history. He now claims he was taken out of context when his comments were picked up by other outlets.

"Unfortunately, if you continue as you have been, you will not have a chance to go down in history as a great president," the Twin Peaks auteur, regarded as one of the greatest American filmmakers of his generation, said in a Facebook post.

"This would be very sad it seems for you — and for the country. You are causing suffering and division."

Lynch told The Guardian that Trump could "could go down as one of the greatest presidents in history" because he had delivered a badly-needed shakeup of Washington politics.

The 72-year-old director of Mulholland Drive and Wild at Heart said he was undecided on whether Trump was doing a good job, but thought the Republican tycoon had opened up a space for other outsiders.

Trump promptly retweeted a Breitbart article on Lynch's comments headlined, "Director David Lynch: Trump 'Could Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents in History.'"

"I wish you and I could sit down and have a talk," Lynch posted on Facebook, addressing the president directly.

"This quote which has travelled around was taken a bit out of context and would need some explaining."

Lynch urged Trump to "turn the ship around... toward a bright future for all."

"You can unite the country. Your soul will sing. Under great loving leadership, no one loses — everybody wins," he added.

"It's something I hope you think about and take to heart. All you need to do is treat all the people as you would like to be treated."