Former U.S. President Donald Trump has denied bullying his way into the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The businessman-turned-politician took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to refute director Chris Columbus’ claim that he insisted upon making a cameo appearance in the movie in exchange for letting them film inside his hotel.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Trump insisted. “That cameo helped make the movie a success, but if they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in, and keep me there, for over 30 years? Because I was, and still am, great for the movie, that’s why! Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick fix of Trump publicity for himself!”
Trump claimed that the filmmakers begged him to appear in the festive classic and he reluctantly agreed because they were “persistent.”
“That little cameo took off like a rocket, and the movie was a big success, and still is, especially around Christmas time. People call me whenever it is aired,” he added.
During a 2020 interview with Business Insider, Columbus claimed they paid a fee to film in The Plaza Hotel, but Trump, who owned it at the time, still insisted on a cameo.
“(He) said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie,'” Columbus said. “So we agreed to put him in the movie, and when we screened it for the first time the oddest thing happened: People cheered when Trump showed up on-screen. So I said to my editor, ‘Leave him in the movie. It’s a moment for the audience.’ But he did bully his way into the movie.”
In the scene, Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister walks into the Plaza and Trump tells him how to find the lobby. Trump made many cameo appearances in films and TV shows during the ’80s and ’90s.