You’d think he’d want to walk back Jungle Cruise or Black Adam. Instead, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is expressing some regret about his 2020 endorsement for Joe Biden for president and says he won’t endorse any candidate this year.
“The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time,” he told Will Cain on Fox News in an interview posted online Friday. “I thought, ‘I’m in this position where I have some influence and I felt it was my job then to exercise my influence [and] share: This is who I’m going to endorse.’ I’m not going to do that. I was then, the most followed man in the world, and am today, and I appreciate that … but what that caused was something that tears me up in my guts — which is division. That got me. I didn’t realize that then, I just felt like there was a lot of unrest and I’d like things to calm down.”
He continued, “The takeaway after that was it caused an incredible amount of division. I realize now going into this election, I will not do that. My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that. There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box. But I will tell you this: Like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and whoever they vote for that is my president and who I will support 100 percent.”
Asked if he was happy with the state of America right now, Johnson replied, “No.”
“Today’s cancel culture, woke culture, division, etcetera — that really bugs me,” he added. “In the spirit of that, you either succumb to that and be what other people want you to be, or you be yourself and be real … and that might make people upset and piss people off, and that’s OK.”
Johnson was also asked once again if he ever plans to run for president and the actor answered, “No, that’s not my intention. I’m not a politician.”
In 2020, Johnson made headlines by sitting down with Biden and Kamala Harris and announcing his endorsement, a message promoted by the Biden campaign.
“As a registered Independent for years now with centrist ideologies, I do feel that Vice President Biden and Senator Harris are the best choice to lead our country, and I am endorsing them to become President, and Vice President, of our United States,” he wrote at the time. “Progress takes courage, humanity, empathy, strength, KINDNESS & RESPECT.”
Johnson’s comments come amid his return to WrestleMania 40, WWE’s flagship event.
While it’s unclear how much celebrity endorsements actually matter, the loss of The Rock’s endorsement isn’t great news for the Biden team as they ramp up to for a rematch with Donald Trump in November. The announcement comes amid plenty of speculation about whether another massive celebrity will renew their endorsement of Biden — Taylor Swift, who likewise endorsed Biden in 2020, hasn’t yet made an endorsement this year.
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