The columnist wrote ‘Johnson is that pathway. A man bigger than the Super Bowl is exactly what we need to break the cycle of despair’
Washington Post deputy opinion editor David Von Drehle argued in a new column that actor and former WWE wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the best nominee for U.S. president in 2024.
“For four years, I have been saying to anyone who will listen — not many people, I must admit — that America has a sure and happy pathway out of the doom loop of Biden vs. Trump, Trump vs. Biden, seemingly for the rest of eternity,” Von Drehle wrote. “Johnson is that pathway. A man bigger than the Super Bowl is exactly what we need to break the cycle of despair.”
Noting he’s serious about his presidential pick, he continued, “Many people I’ve tried this on think I am joking, because Dwayne Johnson is a movie star, among other things — and movie stars can’t be elected. Except by perhaps the largest electoral college margin since George Washington. (Looking at you, Ronald Reagan, who in 1984 won all the states but one.)”
The deputy editor put Johnson forward as the solution for the voters that “detest Trump” and the “many Democrats” who “disdain their incumbent, Joe Biden.”
Von Drehle added, “The solution is a unity campaign starring the gentle giant.”
“I’m not joking. Admittedly, Johnson’s biography is not typical of presidential hopefuls, but in a nation sick of political dysfunction, that might be a feature, not a bug,” the Washington Post columnist reiterated,
He noted how, as a candidate, the star is a good fit for the “post-Trump era, when personal celebrity and the ability to command attention is more important than a conventional résumé or party endorsement.”
Directly comparing and contrasting the “Jumanji” star to both the former and current presidents, he wrote, “Johnson is all the things Trump pretends to be: physically impressive, personally tough, widely liked. And unlike Biden, he has accomplished things other than running for office.”
Von Drehle continued singing his praises, calling The Rock “good-looking,” “built like a cartoon superhero,” and praising his work ethic and his natural charisma.
“His jump to Hollywood was as natural as organic shampoo; there, he quickly picked up where Arnold Schwarzenegger left off, mixing action films — including the insanely popular ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise — with gentler roles, such as the ‘Jumanji’ sequels and Disney’s ‘Moana,'” he wrote. “He also co-founded an array of successful businesses: ZOA energy supplements for the fitness market; an XFL football franchise; a popular tequila brand; a film-production company; and so on. Forbes estimated his income was $270 million in 2022 — well on his way to becoming the self-made billionaire Trump pretends to be.”
Though Von Drehle claimed he has no idea what The Rock’s politics are besides him being “registered as an independent,” he assured readers that he has good political instincts and experience.
He wrote, “His charitable work with at-risk youth puts him in touch with issues that animate many Democrats, as does his personal story of second and third chances after his youthful brushes with the law. On the other hand, when he discusses the keys to his own success — hard work, discipline, risk-taking — he speaks the language of many traditional Republicans.”
Von Drehle said the lack of national security experience will be made up by his global “unsurpassed personal popularity.” He cited how Johnson’s films have grossed $1.3 billion in China and how that would improve U.S.-China relations.
Von Drehle concluded his endorsement of Johnson by touting how nice of a guy he is.
“What I do know is that Johnson is a boss who asks at business meetings, ‘How do we deliver joy?’ Who says, ‘It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.’ A man who says he can’t run for president this year because he wants to be a good father… American politics is sleepwalking toward disaster. Dwayne Johnson is the man to wake us up,” he wrote.
