Hollywood actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson caused a firestorm in Washington, DC, after he was spotted standing shoulder to shoulder with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
The legendary wrestler caused a stir Wednesday when he met with Senate representatives to discuss military recruitment.
However, his appearance sparked even more rumors about a possible bid for the White House, after the actor revealed last week that he had been approached by political parties in 2022.
Johnson, however, remained tight-lipped about any potential campaign, refusing to answer when reporters asked if he was considering running for office.
He and XFL business partner Dany Garcia were on the Hill to meet with several senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was spotted on Capitol Hill on Wednesday after meeting with senators about military recruitment
The legendary Hollywood actor met with Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (pictured) on Wednesday while in Washington, DC
They discussed The Fast and Furious star’s efforts to help with military recruitment and his XFL football league, NBC reports.
Senator Jon Tester, who arranged the sit-down, told the newspaper that Johnson “is going to advocate for people to join the military over a period of time.”
“He has an incredible following, maybe the biggest,” he added.
Senator Susan Collins admitted that she took “as many pictures of him as I could.”
“I’m very happy that he’s helping with military recruitment,” she said. “I think he’s a powerful influencer.”
Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Todd Young (R-IN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) were also among the group that met with Johnson.
In addition to military recruitment, the film producer spoke to the representatives about the XFL, which he purchased with RedBird Capital in 2020.
Video taken from the Capitol showed the Rock posing for photos with star-studded fans.
Johnson attended the meeting with the Senators along with the CEO of the XFL, the football league he bought in 2020
Johnson’s visit caused a stir and reignited buzz about a possible bid for the White House, which first started when the actor revealed he had been approached by political parties about a campaign.
Johnson also met with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Todd Young (R-IN), Lindsey Graham ( R-SC) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Another video showed excited staffers filming as he left the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon.
The chaos continued outside, with the 51-year-old stopping to greet Capitol Police and other personnel who had come out to see him.
Johnson revealed on Trevor Noah’s What Now podcast last week that he had been inundated with requests to run for office.
‘At the end of the year . . . in 2022 I was visited by the parties, asking if I was going to run and if I could run,” Johnson said. ‘It was a big problem. And it came out of the blue. And it was one after another.”
During Jimmy Fallon’s show, he said the prospect had been on the market for several years.
“This nomination speech has been kind of up in the air for the last few years, and it remains surreal,” he said.
The 51-year-old declined to answer when reporters asked whether he was monitoring the White House
Johnson previously stated that the idea of him running for president had been “in the air” for a few years and that he had seriously considered it
The father of three said he is unlikely to run for president as it would take time away from his children
He also referenced a poll that showed “nearly 50 percent of Americans would support me if I ran for president,” he added. “It was just crazy.”
However, he suggested he would not want to take a position that would affect his time with his three children, who are aged 22, seven and five.
Johnson’s visit came after it emerged that the Army, Navy and Air Force all fell short of their recruitment targets at the end of the last fiscal year.
This was despite the fact that the army had secured 50,000 recruits, 15,000 short of the target.