Yahoo News Dwayne Johnson regrets endorsing Joe Biden in 2020, says cancel culture 'really bugs' him: 'Tears me up'
"I started to realize, like, 'Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.'"
Dwayne Johnson endorsed Joe Biden during his 2020 election campaign — but now he says he regrets that decision, and won’t be making political endorsements again anytime soon.
The Black Adam star expressed remorse about his political past and cast skepticism on the state of the nation in an interview with Fox News’ Will Cain this week. “Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer’s no,” he said. “Do I believe we’re gonna get better? I believe in that. I’m an optimistic guy, and I believe we can get better."
Johnson continued, "The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time… And I thought back then, when we talk about, 'Hey, you know, I'm in this position where I have some influence and it's my job then … to exercise my influence and share… this is who I'm going to endorse.'"
Kent Nishimura/Getty
Dwayne Johnson and Joe BidenBut Johnson has shifted his perspective. “Am I gonna do that again this year? That answer is no, I’m not gonna do that, because what I realized — what that caused back then — was something that tears me up in my guts, back then and now, which is division,” he said. “And that got me. The takeaway after that, months and months and months, I started to realize, like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.’”
The Pain & Gain actor further explained his reasoning for not endorsing either candidate this year.
“I realize now going into this election, I’m not gonna do that, and I wouldn’t do that because my goal is to bring our country together,” he said. “There’s gonna be no endorsement. Not that I’m afraid of it at all, but it’s just, I realize that this level of influence, I’m gonna keep my politics to myself. And I think it’s between me and the ballot box."
He added, "But I will tell you this: While like a lot of us out there, I’m not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people, and I trust that whoever they vote for, that’s gonna be my president, and that’s who I’m gonna support, 100 percent.”
When The View replayed the clip on Friday morning's show, the audience greeted Johnson’s comments with intense booing.
“Everybody loves The Rock," cohost Ana Navarro speculated, "and The Rock wants everybody to love him.”
Elsewhere in his Fox interview, Johnson decried cancel culture. “Today’s easy cancel-culture world, and cancel culture, woke culture, this culture, that culture, division, et cetera, that really bugs me,” he said. “In the spirit of that, you either succumb and be what you think other people want you to be, or you go, ‘Well, no, that’s not who I am. I’m gonna be myself, and I’m gonna be real.’ If you ask me something, a real answer is important, and the truthful answer’s important. And that may get people upset, it may piss people off, and that’s okay.”
Johnson also ruled out a potential presidential run of his own. “As of now, no, that’s not my intention,” he said. “I’m not a politician. I’m not into politics. I care deeply about our country. I’m a patriot, and I believe you are too, as well. And right now, my desire and my priorities are my babies and school drop-offs and pickups — that’s important to me."
The actor continued, "I also feel like, in the spirit of bringing people together and bringing our country together, I don’t know if that’s the right move at this point, possibly. I don’t know. As of now.”
Watch the full conversation between Dwayne Johnson and Will Cain above.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren picks The Rock for her dream blunt rotation
Dwayne Johnson now owns the rights to 'The Rock,' 'Candy Ass,' 'Jabroni,' and more
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
