Trump Blasts ‘Home Alone 2’ Director, Claims His Cameo In the Film ‘Took off Like a Rocket’ and Made the Movie a Hit
Former President Donald Trump hit back at “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2” Director Chris Columbus on Wednesday, refuting claims he bullied his way into the film and declaring his cameo is the reason the film was a hit.
“30 years ago (how time flies!), Director Chris Columbus, and others, were begging me to make a cameo appearance in Home Alone 2. 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding:
People call me whenever it is aired. Now, however, 30 years later, Columbus (what was his real name?) put out a statement that I bullied myself into the movie. Nothing could be further from the truth. 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 famously sold the landmark Plaza Hotel in 1995 at an $85 million loss to a Saudi prince and Asian investors. The GOP frontrunner’s screed came days after Columbus told Business Insider that Trump pushed his way into the film. “We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie,’” Columbus said of renting the hotel for the film. “So we agreed to put him in the movie.”
“People cheered when Trump showed up on-screen,” Columbus said of the test screenings for the film. “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.” Notably, the first “Home Alone” was a massive hit with audiences taking in over $476 million worldwide in 1990 — without a cameo from Trump.
