He used to laugh it off, but now Dwayne Johnson says he’s “seriously considering” running for president.
”Seriously considering” is a big jump forward from last year, when Johnson was far less committal.
In 2016, he told British GQ: “I’ll be honest, I haven’t ruled politics out. I’m not being coy when I say that, but at the moment I am not sure. I can’t deny that the thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring. And beyond that, it would be an opportunity to make a real impact on people’s lives on a global scale. But there are a lot of other things I want to do first.”
A Washington Post article used that quote to surmise that he could actually win if he wanted to. And after that, people got on board.
Johnson told USA Today he’d want to be president to “serve the people, and create a better environment for them.” He also said “I can tell you with all honesty that the consideration comes at the desire from a large amount of people who would like to see this happen. But I mean, honestly, there are so many different variables that have to come into play when you think about this. Politics is not my business. So the consideration is there. And we’ll just have to see. I’ll continue to watch and learn as much as I can.”
So whose side would he be on? We know that at one point he was a registered Republican. He even spoke at the 2000 Republican National Convention. But Johnson currently describes himself as an Independent. And he’s been critical of President Trump in the past as well.
When speaking to In Style, Johnson criticized the president for dismissing athletes who chose to kneel during the national anthem. He said “What we’re in need of is a greater leadership that’s inclusive and truly hears the people and doesn’t have a knee-jerk reaction out of anger.”
It’s unlikely, however, that Johnson would challenge President Trump in 2020. He told Variety “Realistically, as we go into 2018, when you look at my slate as we’re developing and shooting into 2019 and 2020, the slate goes deep into 2021, so it feels like the realistic consideration would be 2024.”
It's true. Johnson is committed to a ton of film projects over the next several years including Jungle Cruise, Black Adam, Big Trouble in Little China, and Suicide Squad 2. But, if the internet is any indicator, people are down for a Dwayne Johnson presidency.