- Former President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that the director and producers of Home Alone 2 begged him to appear in the film
- In the film, Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister asks Trump for directions in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned
- In an interview Sunday, Chris Columbus, the director of Home Alone 2, said Trump would only allow them to use the Plaza if he could appear in the film.
Former President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that the director and producers of Home Alone 2 begged him to appear in the holiday film and boasted that he helped make it a hit.
Home Alone 2 director Chris Columbus said this in an interview with Business Insider on Sunday that Trump had made his cameo part of the deal so that the production could use the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time.
In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump said it was the other way around.
'“Thirty years ago (how time flies!), director Chris Columbus and others implored me to make a cameo appearance in Home Alone 2,” the ex-president said. 'I was very busy and didn't want to do it. They were very kind, but above all persistent. I agreed, and the rest is history!'
In the 1992 film starring Macaulay Culkin, Culkin's character Kevin McCallister asks Trump for directions in the lobby of the Plaza after boarding the wrong plane and ending up in New York with his family in instead of in Miami.
Former President Donald Trump (left) refuted Home Alone 2 director Chris Columbus' claims that he was bullied into making a cameo with Macaulay Culkin (right) in the hit 1992 holiday film
Former President Donald Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday that the filmmakers of Home Alone 2 begged him to make the cameo. Columbus said the cameo was part of the deal Trump made to have the production take place at his Plaza Hotel
“That little cameo took off like a rocket, and the movie was a huge success, and still is, especially around Christmas,” Trump noted. “People call me when it airs.”
“But now, thirty years later, Columbus (what was his real name?) explained that I had bullied myself in the movie. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the ex-president continued.
Columbus explained that they had to film on the Plaza because it was something that couldn't be recreated on a soundstage.
He said that, like most locations in New York, “you just pay a fee and get to film in that location.”
But as production approached the Plaza, the deal came with an additional demand.
“Trump said okay. 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 showed it for the first time, the strangest thing happened: people cheered when Trump appeared on the screen.”
“So I said to my editor, 'Leave him in the movie. It's a moment for the audience,” Columbus continued. “But he did talk his way into the movie.”
While Trump took exception to the “bully” comment, he praised the impact his cameo had on the film.
“That cameo helped make the movie a success, but if they felt bullied or didn't want me, why did they put me in there and keep me for thirty years?” mused the hopeful 2024.
'Because I was and still am great for the movie, that's why!' he replied.
“Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick fix for Trump publicity for himself!” Trump said.