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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson cooked up his first-ever presidential endorsement with one for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California.
The self-described “registered independent with centrist ideologies” has voted for both parties in the past, but the “Fast and Furious” franchise star remained silent on his political beliefs for much of his career.
But ahead of this “critical presidential election,” Johnson made it clear: He’s backing Biden and Harris come November.
Johnson sat down with the duo in a virtual conversation via his YouTube channel Sunday. “It’s DJ,” Biden said at the start of the video with Harris, who added that she’s a “huge fan” of Johnson’s films and cited his “Fast and Furious” films and “Jumanji” as her personal favourites.
“I have been a lucky guy over the years in my life and my career to have been part of and participated in some real defining moments, and I’ve never publicly endorsed a presidential candidate or vice-presidential candidate in my life over my career,” Johnson said.
The former WWE wrestler went on to praise the presidential hopeful’s experience and political career, commending Biden for leading with “great compassion and heart and drive, but also soul.”
Johnson then dubbed Harris a “certified badass” for her work as California’s attorney general, with a special mention of her approach during Senate hearings.
Asked by Johnson about how the two plan to “earn the respect of all the American people,” Biden offered a direct response about restoring accountability to the White House.
“By doing what we say we’re going to do. By keeping our word. By leveling with the American people. By taking responsibility. When we fail, acknowledge it. We’re not going to be perfect, but take responsibility. Say, ‘This is what I’m going to do. This is what I believe.’ And tell the truth,” he said. “Our administration, DJ, is going to look like America. It’s going to be representative of all of America.”
Harris also drilled down on reestablishing trust with voters.
“You must speak truth, but here’s the reality: Truth can sometimes be really difficult to hear. And for that reason sometimes people don’t speak it. But you cannot have trust if you don’t speak truth,” she said.
Harris added: “That has to be part of the core of what we do as we go forward because, to your point, we’re facing as a country so many challenges, and people are grieving.
“I mean, people are grieving the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of certainty, the loss of normalcy. And to heal and get through this, we’re gonna have to be honest about what healing will require,” she said.
The sentiment hit home with Johnson, who revealed earlier this month that he and his family were recovering from COVID-19 after testing positive weeks ago.
“When you’re honest with a scenario and people who you care about, ... it leads right into making progress but through a humanity,” he said.
Johnson previously expressed interest in a political career, calling his potential candidacy for president a “real possibility” back in 2017. He has since buddied up to former Democratic candidate and unabashed “Ballers” fan Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, with the two frequently showing each other love on social media.