Watch Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Talk Presidential Aspirations on ‘Tonight Show’
Baywatch star and former WWE champ Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t messing around when he told GQ earlier this month that running for President sometime in the near future is “a real possibility.” While on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, Johnson was asked about the interview and why people are making such a big deal about the possibility of him taking over Donald Trump’s position in the Oval Office. While he’s not quite ready to put his name in the hat for 2020 – “three-and-a-half years is a long ways away,” he told Fallon – he’s still intrigued.
“The story has blown up because it was so wonderfully written,” Johnson said. “[The author Caity Weaver] is very, very witty. She was amazing. But in it, as we were talking about it, she goes, ‘Would you ever consider running for President?’ And I said, “Yeah, of course, I would consider it.’ And how this surge and the groundswell since then has really been amazing. I’ve got to tell you – and I’ll tell you guys, too – I’m so incredibly flattered. There’s a national poll that just came out this past week that brought together Republicans and Democrats, saying that I would beat Donald Trump if we had an election today to become President.”
That last part is true, by the way. As explained by Public Policy Polling this week: “Johnson would lead Trump 42/37 in a prospective contest, and wins over 15 percent of people who supported Trump last fall” if he were to run for President as a Democrat. Joe Biden (54/40) and Bernie Sanders (52/39), however, both have better odds than Johnson according to the same poll.
“I think it’s because a lot of people want to see a different leadership today – I’m sorry, not different, but a better leadership today,” Johnson continued. “I think more poise, less noise. And I also think that over the years I’ve become a guy that a lot of people can relate to: Get up early in the morning at a ridiculous hour, go to work and spend time with the troops, take care of my family. I love taking care of people. And I think that kind of thing really resonates with people, especially today.”
“More poise, less noise” would be a pretty good slogan for the post-Trump America, wouldn’t it? Either way, it sure seems like Johnson has all he needs to get his campaign up and running.