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| Dwayne "The Rock' Johnson steps back from politics and into the wrestling ring. |
ANALYSIS
The Rock, AKA superstar Dwayne Johnson, said he won’t endorse anyone for president this year.One of the most popular and busiest actors in Hollywood, Samoan American Johnson went on the conservative Fox network April 5 to announce that he won't be endorsing anybody in 2024. That's an about-face from 2020 when he backed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for President and Vice President respectively.
“Am I going to do that again, this year? That answer’s no. I’m not going to do that,” Johnson said on Fox's Fox and Friends. “Because what I realized, what that caused back then, was something that tears me up in my guts back then and now, which is division. And that got me.”
Johnson, who is registered as a Repubican, continued, “The takeaway after that, after months and months and months, I started to realize, like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.’ So I realize now going into this election, I’m not going to do that,” he continued. “I wouldn’t do that, because my goal is to bring our country together. I believe in that, in my DNA. So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement.”
Johnson, who is registered as a Repubican, continued, “The takeaway after that, after months and months and months, I started to realize, like, ‘Oh man, that caused an incredible amount of division in our country.’ So I realize now going into this election, I’m not going to do that,” he continued. “I wouldn’t do that, because my goal is to bring our country together. I believe in that, in my DNA. So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement.”
Worried that his popularity would take a hit again, the Samoan merican actor thinks that a mmiddle road would be a better strategy this time around.
By choosing to announced his non-endorsement on the conservative Fox network which has consistently acted as a megaphone for the radical right, instead of holding a normal press conference attended by multiple media, Johnson imust know that he is speaking to the network's MAGA audience, followers of Trump.
Though he avoided stating a preference for President, n the hour-long interview he used the Trump's buzz words of "cancel culture," woke culture," in expressing his dissatisfaction with the mood of the country.
“Today’s cancel culture, woke culture, division, etcetera — that really bugs me." instead of the major issues of climate change, gun violence, abortion, income inequalirty or the activist conservative Supreme Court t trying to bring the country to the pre-civil rights era of the 1950s.
No doubt the action star was surprised at the vitriol he received from the radical right after he endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.
The Samoan American's so-called non-endorsement still sharpens the division driven largely by the MAGA Republicans, Fox's base audience.
Despite the alturistic trappings of Johnson's announceent, the motivation for his non-endorsement may be more basic and rooted the conservative leanings of the wrestling fandom. He merely wants to shore upt his popularity with the professional wrestling fans.
Critics point out that the Fox viewers include a large segment of professional wrestling fans. Perhaps, not coincidentally, he returned to the wrestling world. The Rock teamed up with Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match at WrestleMania XL, marking his return to the ring after an eight-year absence. He then tried to help Reigns defend his Undisputed Universal World Championship against Rhodes on Night 2 of WrestleMania but was unsuccessful.
Critics point out that the Fox viewers include a large segment of professional wrestling fans. Perhaps, not coincidentally, he returned to the wrestling world. The Rock teamed up with Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a tag team match at WrestleMania XL, marking his return to the ring after an eight-year absence. He then tried to help Reigns defend his Undisputed Universal World Championship against Rhodes on Night 2 of WrestleMania but was unsuccessful.
The Rock revealed in his post-WrestleMania check-in on Instagram that he'll be returning to the ring to challenge Cody Rhodes, the new Universal champion before adding: "When the Final Boss returns, he's coming after you."
The 51-year old Rock, who in the movie world portrays himself as a nice guy in contrast to his "villlain" persona in the ring, added that his sights are now "set on the next WrestleMania."
A video of Johnson getting booed during a WWrestlemania press conference was all part of the show. Johnson was playing the part of a "heel," inwrestling terminology, the a bad guy. He was not being bood for his non-endorsement but for being a villain.
He also recently inducted his grandmother, Lia Maivia, into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024. "She was a trail blazer. She was a protector of our family. She was the real Final Boss," Johnson said on Instagram.
Predicatably, his non-endorsement is being played up in conservative media sa a rebuke of Biden and his policies but in no point in the Fox interview did Johnson say he regretted endorsing Biden in 2020, nor, biy assumption, did he say he endorsed Donald Trump.
Celebrities have a right to their political opinions. However, with so many fans following their every move and statement,celebrities who make a living off of his or her popularity with the public bear some responsibility how they use their influence. With nearly 400 million followers worldwide, Johnson’s Instagram account is one of the most widely followed on the platform, according to Forbes India.
The Rock should heed the words of another wrestler-turned actor, Filipino American Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Dune), who sas the WWE champio when he left the ring.
“We talk about the difference of being tough and someone who portrays himself as a tough guy,” said Bausta in a 2020 video .. “It’s easy to lie to people. It’s easy to bully people. That does not make you a tough guy. It’s easy to tell someone what they want to hear. It’s not easy to tell someone what they need to hear. We’re not in good shape, but this is how we’re going to get out of it. That is being tough.
“This country more than anything right now needs someone who’s going to have a plan, so we can get back on track,” continues Bautista, wearing a T-shirt with the word “Freedom” stamped across it. “A leader is someone who can unite people, who takes responsibility. That’s toughness," Bautista concludes, "That is Joe Biden."
“We talk about the difference of being tough and someone who portrays himself as a tough guy,” said Bausta in a 2020 video .. “It’s easy to lie to people. It’s easy to bully people. That does not make you a tough guy. It’s easy to tell someone what they want to hear. It’s not easy to tell someone what they need to hear. We’re not in good shape, but this is how we’re going to get out of it. That is being tough.
“This country more than anything right now needs someone who’s going to have a plan, so we can get back on track,” continues Bautista, wearing a T-shirt with the word “Freedom” stamped across it. “A leader is someone who can unite people, who takes responsibility. That’s toughness," Bautista concludes, "That is Joe Biden."
Johnson claims that he doesn't want to divide the country. It's too tate. Through no fault of his own, he country is deeply divided because the stakes are so high. As a good citizen in a country that allowed the Samoan American to reach the heights of fame and fortune, Johnson should care deeply about the direction of the nation.
Johnson is entitled to his opinion and his vote is private. But making his announcement on a media platform catering to the lies and hate of the radical right may be a calculated statement in itself.
You can't be a hero on the silver screen and a heel in the ring and expect voters to believe you one way or the other.
As much as the Johnson wants everybody to love him, this November, in the real world, the tough guy is going to have to make a choice.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.
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