Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not exactly averse to the idea of running as president of the United States.
In a recent interview with GQ, he called it “a real possibility” when he was asked if he would ever give up his comfortable life as the world’s highest-paid movie star to run for the White House.
What The Rock Is Cookin’
“I think it’s a real possibility,” said the wrestler turned Hollywood star, who has an audience of at least 85 million people on Instagram.
Johnson said he did not vote for either President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Instead, he opened up to the magazine about why he could envision himself holding the highest post in the country.
“Personally, I feel that if I were president, poise would be important. Leadership would be important. Taking responsibility for everybody,” Johnson explained, adding that he “wouldn’t shut them out” in case he’s in disagreement with certain people.
“The first thing we’d do is we’d come and sit down and we’d talk about it,” he proceeded. “It’s hard to categorize right now how [Trump] is doing, other than to tell you how I would operate, what I would like to see.”
And what would The Rock like to see then?
A better leadership, he said, although he did not criticize the present administration. Disagreement, he said, “informs” people, and it’s the president’s responsibility to understand where such disagreements root from.
The actor was quick to disagree, for one, with the Muslim ban, explaining that while he believes in national security, he also believes in inclusion that the United States “was built on.”
From-Rags-To-Riches Story
Just like the former WWE celebrity himself, Trump enjoyed a high-profile career in the entertainment world, primarily hosting the reality show “The Apprentice.” He has a bit of an edge against Johnson, though, as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Johnson stars in the upcoming Baywatch movie alongside actors Zac Efron and Priyanka Chopra. The film opens on May 25.
In a commentary, The San Diego Union Tribune called Johnson a “bright, charismatic, well-liked, mixed-race American” who studied high school in Hawaii and rose to great levels of fame. Speculating on a possible Johnson 2020 scenario, the piece playfully lists several “very serious reasons” why Johnson deserves to be POTUS.
These reasons include his being a man of the people (remember his “People’s Champion” nickname in professional wrestling?), his speech at the Republican National Convention back in 2000, and on a more serious note, his emergence as a self-made American hero.
Johnson grew up living with his mother, who cleaned hotels while his father was touring as a pro wrestler. He worked to become a college football player but injury got in the way early on, leading him to the path of the then-World Wrestling Federation.
Today, he’s no less than a multimillion dollar brand, named by Forbes as the highest-paid actor in 2016 with a whopping $64.5 million annual paycheck.
