Dwayne Johnson says a run for president is a 'real possibility'
— -- After not publicly endorsing any candidate in last year's Presidential election, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson now says he's mulling over a run for office.
In an interview with GQ, Johnson -- the former champion wrestler and current movie star -- says he has "a tremendous amount of respect for the [political] process." But when both Hilary Clinton's and Donald Trump's campaigns reached out in 2016, he thought carefully because he feels he is "in a position now where my word carries a lot of weight."
He chose his words wisely, but didn't choose sides. "It might sway an opinion," he said, "which I didn't want to do."
But the "Baywatch" star, 45, says that he may not be completely impartial for long because a run for office is a "real possibility."
It's no secret that Trump, the former host of the reality show "The Apprentice," was a surprise win for highest office in the land this past November.
"A year ago, it started coming up more and more," Johnson said about reporters asking him if he eventually would run. "There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think, 'Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful.' I didn't want to be flippant."
When asked plainly about President Trump and how he's doing in his first 100-plus days, Johnson talked more about inclusion and acceptance, and how he would lead, instead of being negative about either side.
"Personally, I feel that if I were president, poise would be important. Leadership would be important. Taking responsibility for everybody ... I wouldn't shut [anyone who disagreed] out. I would actually include them. The first thing we'd do is we'd come and sit down and we'd talk about it. It's hard to categorize right now how I think he's doing, other than to tell you how I would operate," he said.
As for Trump's back and forth with the media, in which the President often says major news outlets are producing "fake news," Johnson said he'd most likely take any media criticism to mean "that I could be better."
"Even if we disagree, we've got to figure it out," he said. "If there's a large number of people disagreeing, there might be something I'm not seeing, so let me see it. Let me understand it."
The one issue he candidly admits he's against is the executive order signed earlier this year, limiting immigration into the United States. After that order was held up in the courts, a new order was signed in March to "addresses previous concerns and protects the homeland and every one of our citizens," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
"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," Johnson said.
