Self-described “political independent and centrist” Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, dubbing the 2020 race “arguably the most critical election our country has seen in decades.”
“Look, I’ve got friends in all parties, but the one thing we can always agree on is the conversation and the dialogue, and where that conversation lands, is always the most critical part,” Johnson says in a video posted to Twitter.
The video features Johnson speaking with Biden and Harris, during which the actor concludes that Biden and Harris are “the best choice to lead our country” based on their supposed core values of “humanity,” “respect,” and “decency.”
The Rock’s announcement instantly divided his fans into several camps, with some asking why he didn’t run himself, and others expressing disappointment or accusing him of “selling out.”
Others suggested that “nobody cares” about celebrity endorsements, and asked stars like Johnson to “stay out of politics.”
Biden supporters similarly came out in force, quivering in anticipation at the thought of Johnson and the president getting into a Twitter fight, and welcoming The Rock to “The Resistance.”
Only a few users actually took Johnson on over the sentiments he expressed in his video, including a remark about the Democratic candidates’ supposed “empathy.”
“Joe Biden voted for the Iraq War. That wasn’t kind or empathetic. I voted for Trump because he’s anti-war,” one user wrote.
“Yeah – they haven’t earned our respect,” another argued, recalling Biden and Harris’s controversial stances on gay marriage and support for a crime bill which led to the mass incarceration of large numbers of African Americans and other minorities for petty crimes.
Johnson, star of Jumanji and The Fast and the Furious franchise, told Ellen in 2017 said that he was “seriously considering" running for president in 2020, and has previously expressed support for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren during her run for president. He said he didn’t vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton in 2016, feeling that neither candidate was good enough.