The Rock fuels more speculation of 2020 presidential run

There is rampant speculation that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will run for president. To be clear, that’s president of the United States. The Rock. For president.

The former professional wrestler and current Hollywood actor recently said there was “a real possibility” he could run in 2020, or perhaps later. On Thursday night, Johnson joined “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

“A real national poll that brought together Republicans and Democrats in saying that I would beat Donald Trump if we had an election today to become president,” Johnson said to cheers from the late-night crowd. The poll he is referring to was conducted by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm. It found that if Johnson ran as a Democrat, he would lead President Trump 42 to 37.

Johnson, a registered independent, related how he was “blown away” and flattered by the support.

“And I think you have to question why,” he said. “I think it’s because, you know, a lot of people want to see a different leadership today — I’m sorry, not different, but better leadership today, right?” 

“A better leadership. I think more poised, less noise,” he said. “And I also think that over the years I’ve become a guy that a lot of people kind of 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 …”

If Dwayne Johnson is serious about running, he gave a classic politician’s denial by saying “three-and-a-half years is a long ways away. So we’ll see.”

In 2000, Johnson spoke at both the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention on the importance of voting. But speculation about Johnson’s own future in politics began in 2016, when he told GQ he hadn’t ruled politics out.

“I can’t deny that the thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring,” Johnson said. “And beyond that, it would be an opportunity to make a real impact on people’s lives on a global scale. But there are a lot of other things I want to do first.”

When The Washington Post reported Johnson’s comments last June, arguing that he could actually win, The Rock posted the story on his Instagram account, thanking the Post.

Interesting piece from The Washington Post on if I ran for POTUS I could actually win. Writer Alyssa Rosenberg did some pretty good research into my background (slave descendants fighting for their freedom, Revolutionary War etc). Much more to uncover but well done. ???? More and more pieces like this are popping up due to the Presidential election and they're cool/fun to read... I care DEEPLY about our county... and the idea of one day becoming President to create real positive impact and global change is very alluring. Buuuuut until that possible day, the most important thing right now is strong honest leadership from our current and future leaders of this country. Thanks again Washington Post. ???? ????

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jun 21, 2016 at 1:52pm PDT

“I care DEEPLY about our country,” Johnson wrote. “[A]nd the idea of one day becoming President to create real positive impact and global change is very alluring. Buuuuut until that possible day, the most important thing right now is strong honest leadership from our current and future leaders of this country.”

Donald Trump had mused about running for office since at least the late 1980s before eventually pulling the trigger on his campaign in 2016 – and winning. 

It seems like the Rock has been thinking about politics for quite a while, too. So if you smell what the Rock is cooking, keep an eye out for “Dwayne Johnson 2020” in three years.