The Rock Doesn't Owe Joe Biden, Democrats For Being Normal Politically | Bobby Burack

Fox News host Will Cain interviewed Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ahead of WrestleMania 40 on his digital show, in the most viral interview of the past week in both politics and sports.

Specifically, Johnson informed Cain he would not endorse Joe Biden as he did four years ago. "The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was what I thought was the best decision for me at that time," Johnson said. 

"Am I going to do that again this year? That answer's no. I'm not going to do that," he told Cain. 

"Because what I realized that what that caused back then was something that tears me up in my guts back then and now, which is division. And that got me.

"Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer's no."

The Rock's assessment of his political ambitions as an influencer was rather benign. He didn't vow to or reveal plans to endorse Donald Trump.

"I am not going to endorse anyone," he assured. Johnson simply suggested he wants to stay out of politics in 2024.

And yet, his comments drew fierce criticism from the usual suspects in the media. 

Like former television host Jemele Hill. "That's the kind of, frankly, political cowardice that's hard to respect," she said Monday. 

"I don't understand how Joe Biden is the divisive one. What he's running against is pushing bigotry, xenophobia, every other phobia and -ism you could possibly name. That is what they're literally campaigning on. Joe Biden is not campaigning on those same things. And so I don't even understand how Joe Biden got a tag for being the one who's dividing people."

Got that? The Rock is in the wrong for not using his platform to endorse anti-xenophobia, as in Joe Biden.

Keith Olbermann also chimed in, asking on X "Who knew @TheRock was such a greedy coward?"

A blog post from Joy Reid's website on MSNBC proclaimed The Rock used Will Cain to "throw black people under the bus."

"Is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Turning to the Right?" asked a headline from Vanity Fair. "The wrestler-turned-actor and entrepreneur turned his back on President Biden and attacked 'woke culture' in a Fox News interview," read the article.

Read that framing carefully: Johnson not putting his weight behind Biden is considered "turning his back" on the Democrat party. Members of the corporate press now consider Johnson "conservative" for being apolitical in the public.

The truth is, The Rock is normal. Normal politically, that is. He's not a zealot. He's not vulnerable to the whims of Hollywood's compromised interests, either.

Four years ago, Johnson thought Joe Biden was a better presidential candidate than Donald Trump. Therefore, endorsed Biden. Like a lot of voters, he has since seen the destruction Biden has caused as a moderate face for a radical agenda. 

If Johnson had truly pivoted toward MAGA ways, he could've said so. He didn't. Watching the interview, Johnson resembled many Americans who are not thrilled with either option as a rematch between Trump and Biden looms.

Ultimately, there's an expectation in entertainment that you ought to help elevate Democrats whom the industry deems as the "good guys."

It's grotesque. It builds one of the most exclusive circles imaginable, where you must succumb to political pressure in order to fit in.

Actors are supposed to declare their allegiance, particularly in the age of the culture war. The Rock didn't do that. He's one of the few actors who's still invested in welcoming all sides to his films.

The media is fixated on The Rock daring to sit down with Will Cain. Yet little has been said that he chatted with Jimmy Fallon on the "Tonight Show" a day prior, where 95% of guests in 2023 were liberal.

Jemele Hill calls Johnson a "coward." Quite the opposite. 

A coward would've pretended to back Biden to avoid the vitriol the media would inevitably spew at him for not using his platform to jab Donald Trump.

Johnson doesn't owe Joe Biden. He doesn't owe Democrats. And he most certainly doesn't owe the once-prestigious media. 

The Rock, as he's called in professional wrestling, emerged as a key figure in the wrestling wars of the 1990s between WWE and WCW. He didn't amass generational fame in the ring by catering to one side of the political spectrum. He catered to everyone.

Liberals, conservatives, blacks, and whites were each in awe of The Rock. As they were Saturday night when he returned to the ring after 24 hours of headlines following his interview with Cain.

To the media, The Rock turned heel by not endorsing Joe Biden. 

To normal Americans, he's still the People's Champ – who, like them, isn't enamored with the state of the country or either side of the political spectrum.