WWE legend, Sexiest Man Alive and highest-paid actor in the world Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson graced the cover of GQ Magazine once again this month. The article covers a lot of ground, including his new movie Baywatch and what an all-around amazing human Johnson appears to be. Writer Caity Weaver gushes about Johnson’s likability, with quotes like,
“If Johnson’s personal magnetism were any stronger, birds in his vicinity might plummet from the sky, their internal navigation thrown off by the force of his personality.”
The biggest story coming out of the piece is the very real possibility of Johnson getting into politics and running for President of the United States. When asked if he really would consider throwing his hat into the 2020 Presidential race, Rock said:
“I think that it’s a real possibility”
It doesn’t sound like he was just blowing smoke with a teaser quote to grab headlines. Rock is talking policy. When asked about President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration crackdown (the “Muslim ban”), Johnson kicked it into high gear and had a strong opinion ready to share.
“I completely disagree with it,” he said without hesitation. “I believe in our national security to the core, but I don’t believe in a ‘ban’ that bans immigrants. I believe in inclusion. Our country was built on that, and it continues to be made strong by that. And the decision felt like a snap judgment. I feel like the majority of, if not all, Americans feel that protection is of huge importance. But the ideology and the execution [of national-security initiatives] is where we really have to be careful of not making those snap decisions, because there’s a tail effect… Within 24 hours, we saw a ‘tail effect.’ It grew to heartache, it grew to a great deal of pain, it grew to a great deal of confusion, and it had a lot of people scrambling.”
The article features quotes from several Hollywood bigwigs who wholeheartedly endorse the idea of The Rock running for President. Producer Beau Flynn, who worked with The Rock in projects like San Andreas, has no doubt that The Rock could be president. How sure is he?
“A trillion percent,” says Flynn. “One hundred percent, he would win, I have no doubt. His level of commitment and his care for people would translate immediately. If he looked me in the eyes and said, ‘I want to build a campaign. I want to run for the president of the United States,’ done, and you can lock it.”
It’s a really good read if you want to check it out over at GQ.com.
The Rock For President
There have been calls for Rock to run for President even before the most recent election and this is not the first time Rock has publicly entertained the idea. A Time magazine article last summer detailed the surge of enthusiasm many have for this idea.
The Rock told Time Magazine in July 2016, ““The thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring,” Johnson admitted. Last summer during the Democratic National Convention, The Rock posted the following on his Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIT1S2fDCGG/
That same week, he tweeted that he would would enter politics in coming years if he could be a “strong, authentic, and impactful leader for the people.”