Home Alone 2 is a popular family-friendly holiday movie. In the sequel to the original Home Alone, Donald Trump made a cameo appearance.
The movie was released in 1992. In one scene, the main character, a boy named Kevin, finds himself wandering around the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in NYC. Trump is walking by and Kevin stops him to ask for directions. Trump answers and Trump continues walking. That’s the scene. It’s just a cameo. This is 2023 and nothing is normal. So, of course, there is a controversy over Trump’s cameo appearance.
Trump owned the Plaza Hotel back in the day. Director Chris Columbus wanted to film in the hotel. For whatever reason, Columbus is now saying that Trump “[bullied] his way into the movie.” Really? In 1992, Trump was well-known and a public figure. Hollywood liked him. It was only when Trump ran for president as a Republican that Hollywood turned on him. It seems that Columbus told a publication in 2020 that Trump wouldn’t agree to the Plaza as a filming location unless he could be in the film. Is this surfacing again now because Trump is running for president and Home Alone 2 is popular this time of year? Yeah, probably.
The left drags Trump into every story. This one is no exception.
In 2020, Columbus, who directed both Home Alone films, told Business Insider that Trump, who owned the Plaza Hotel at the time, would only allow them to film at the location if he could make a cameo.
“We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie.’ 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,” Columbus recalled. “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.”
See what happened? Columbus had to admit that Trump’s appearance was wildly popular. That deflates any spicy claim of being bullied, doesn’t it? Why does a successful Hollywood movie director want to be seen as weak? Is it just for some publicity for a holiday classic movie? It looks that way. Anything for publicity.
Trump responded on Truth Social Wednesday. He remembers the event differently. Shocking, I know. He said the movie’s production team were “begging me to make a cameo appearance.”
Trump said of the 1992 film: “They rented the Plaza hotel in New York, which I owned at the time. I was very busy, and didn’t want to do it. They were very nice, but above all, persistent.
“I agreed, and the rest is history! 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.”
It was the third-highest grossing film of 1992. Did Trump’s cameo help box office sales? Apparently it didn’t hurt. Trump said his cameo helped the movie.
But Trump said on Truth Social this week: “Nothing could be further from the truth.” He added that his appearance had given the film a considerable boost. “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!”
Let’s be honest – the story is being brought up now because Hollywood likes nothing better than trashing Trump. The comments from Columbus are three years old. Cable news is happy to run the story. Most, except the Trump supporters on Fox, are happy to talk about what a mean bully Trump can be. It’s all so predictable. The best part of the story, though, is Columbus having to admit that the audience loved the cameo.