It seems Dwayne “The Rock”Johnson has his hand in almost everything these days, from his acting career to his UFL ownership role. But one thing he will not be doing in 2024 is making a presidential endorsement.
Johnson endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020. Friday morning, he told Will Cain, the former ESPN broadcaster now on Fox & Friends, that he will not announce a choice between Biden and GOP contender Donald Trump.
“Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well that answer’s ‘No,'” Johnson told Cain. “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 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 I felt like then … to exercise my influence and share, ‘This is who I’m going to endorse.’
“Am I going to do that again this year? That answer’s ‘No.'”
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he won't endorse Joe Biden in 2024, after he backed him in 2020. pic.twitter.com/ZwpV8JEyww
— The Recount (@therecount) April 5, 2024
The clip quickly went viral on social media. It was a good scoop for Cain, the former ESPN contributor and First Take analyst who also hosted ESPN Radio’s The Will Cain Show.
But the clip was just as quickly taken out of context on X/Twitter. Johnson did not voice support for Trump. He didn’t even say he would not vote for Biden, simply that he wouldn’t endorse him this election cycle.
There could be a shrewd business reason for Johnson to make the announcement. He recently joined the board of directors of TKO Group, the publicly traded company consisting of the UFC and WWE. Trump has received huge ovations when attending recent UFC fights, accompanied by UFC president Dana White.
If Johnson’s skipping the endorsement this time around to avoid alienating a huge chunk of fans, he’s taking a page out of Michael Jordan’s book. The basketball legend was once asked why he wouldn’t endorse a Democratic candidate, and he famously responded, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.” Jordan clarified that comment in 2020 in The Last Dance documentary. He claimed he said that in jest, and later contributed money to the Democratic candidate in that race.
Yet Jordan avoided endorsing candidates or making political statements, saying in the documentary, “I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player.”
Still, Johnson’s endorsement stance could be heartfelt, as Biden has alienated many people who voted for him in 2020. So has Trump, for that matter. His former vice president, Mike Pence, and Trump cabinet member and GOP presidential rival Nikki Haley have refused to endorse him this time around.
