Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson says political parties asked ‘if I could run’ for President: ‘It was one after the other'.
ADVERTISEMENTCelebrated wrestler turned actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has revealed on Trevor Noah’s new (and excellent) Spotify podcast “What Now?” that several political parties approached him in 2022 to ask if he would run for president.
The actor had floated the idea in past interviews. He first mentioned it in 2017, when he told Variety that it was a “realistic consideration” for 2024.
However, in an interview last year, he said a presidential run was “off the table.”
“I love being a daddy and that’s the most important thing to me is being a daddy, number one, especially during this time, this critical time in my daughters’ lives.”
During their conversation, former Daily Show host Noah brought up a 2021 political poll that claimed 46% of US adults would support Johnson’s campaign for president.
At the time, Johnson responded on Instagram by saying: “I don’t think our Founding Fathers EVER envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club – but if it ever happens it’d be my honour to serve you, the people.”
“That was an interesting poll that happened and I was really moved by that,” Johnson told Noah. “I was really blown away and I was really honored. I’ll share this little bit with you: at the end of the year in 2022, I got a visit from the parties asking me if I was going to run, and if I could run.”
“It was a big deal, and it came out of the blue,” Johnson continued. “It was one after the other, and they brought up that poll, and they also brought up their own deep-dive research that would prove that should I ever go down that road [I’d be a real contender]. It was all very surreal because that’s never been my goal. My goal has never been to be in politics. As a matter of fact, there’s a lot about politics that I hate.”
Johnson didn’t specify which political parties approached him.
The Jumanji and Black Adam star, who moved into acting in 2001 and went on to become a sure box office draw, has described himself as a “centrist” and “political independent” and publicly endorsed the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket.
The celebrity to politician pipeline is a thing in the US. From Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and, infamously, Donald Trump, a great many celebratities have successfully made the leap into the political sphere.
Many have tried, like Dr. Oz, Cynthia Nixon and Caitlyn Jenner, and recently, Matthew McConaughey said that running for governor of Texas was a "true consideration."
And don’t rule out Johnson just yet.
He told Noah: “If that’s ultimately what the people would want, then of course I would consider it.”
Much, much stranger things have happened.
