The wrestler and actor threw his support behind Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Four years on, he’s commented on whether he’ll do so again.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is facing criticism over comments about his previous endorsement of Joe Biden.
The 51-year-old actor, who backed Mr Biden when he ran for US president in 2020, was asked in an interview with Fox News whether he would do so again during this campaign.
But what did Johnson say and why is he being criticised?
Biden endorsement ’caused division’
Asked by Fox News whether he was happy with his 2020 endorsement and the current state of America, the former wrestler said: “Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer’s no. Do I believe we’re going to get better? I believe in that. I’m an optimistic guy, and I believe we can get better.”
The actor said his endorsement, which was the first time he had ever publicly supported a presidential candidate, was the “best decision for me at that time”.
“Am I going to do that again this year? That answer’s no. I’m not going to do that,” he said.
He told Fox News he believed it “caused an incredible amount of, division in our country”, which he said “tears me up in my guts back then and now”.
This time, he said, his “goal is to bring our country together”.
“I believe in that, in my DNA,” he added. “So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement.”
He said that given his level of influence, “I’m going to keep my politics to myself”.
He added: “I will tell you this, like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and I trust that whoever they vote for… that is my president who I will support 100%.”
What did Johnson say in 2020?
The actor interviewed Mr Biden and then running mate Kamala Harris ahead of what he called “arguably the most critical election our country has seen in decades”.
In a video shared on his social media accounts, Johnson told his followers that endorsing a candidate “is something that I’ve certainly not done in the past, so I’m going to go big – you guys know me, if I go, I go big!”
“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 said at the time.
Johnson talked about political careers of Mr Biden and Ms Harris and said her experience proved she is “smart” and “tough” and a “certified badass”.
The Rock, who said he had voted for both parties in the past, also criticised Donald Trump in 2021, suggesting the then-president was absent in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
