Donald Trump denies that he “bullied” his way into ‘Home Alone 2’
Former US President Donald Trump has refuted claims from director Chris Columbus that he “bullied” his way into appearing in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
In 2020, when celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Home Alone franchise, Columbus asserted that the businessman-turned-politician had bullied his way into the 1992 sequel. He also claimed Trump’s cameo only materialised because they needed to film at New York’s Plaza Hotel, which the mogul owned.
In the movie, Macaulay Culkin’s protagonist, Kevin McCallister, asks Trump for directions to the hotel lobby, to which he says, “Down the hall and to the left.” The cameo lasts under 10 seconds but is one of the most memorable aspects of the film.
“We couldn’t rebuild The Plaza on a soundstage,” Columbus told Business Insider in 2020. “Trump said OK. 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.”
He also claimed the “oddest thing happened” at the film’s first screening, which pointed to what would occur years later. “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.”
In response to Columbus’ claims, Donald Trump has now had his say on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Director Chris Columbus, and others, were begging me to make a cameo appearance in Home Alone 2… I was very busy, and didn’t want to do it,” he began.
“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… Now, however, 30 years later, Columbus (what was his name?) put out a statement that I bullied myself into the movie,” Trump added.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said before asking why they kept him in the film if they felt bullied. He answered this query by asserting that he was, and still is, “great for the movie”.
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