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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is facing criticism over comments about his previous endorsement of Joe Biden.

The 51-year-old actor, who backed Mr Biden when he ran for US president in 2020, was asked in an interview with Fox News whether he would do so again during this campaign.

But what did Johnson say and why is he being criticised?

Biden endorsement ’caused division’

Asked by Fox News whether he was happy with his 2020 endorsement and the current state of America, the former wrestler said: “Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer’s no. Do I believe we’re going to get better? I believe in that. I’m an optimistic guy, and I believe we can get better.”

The actor said his endorsement, which was the first time he had ever publicly supported a presidential candidate, was the “best decision for me at that time”.

“Am I going to do that again this year? That answer’s no. I’m not going to do that,” he said.

He told Fox News he believed it “caused an incredible amount of, division in our country”, which he said “tears me up in my guts back then and now”.

This time, he said, his “goal is to bring our country together”.

“I believe in that, in my DNA,” he added. “So in the spirit of that, there’s going to be no endorsement.”

He said that given his level of influence, “I’m going to keep my politics to myself”.

He added: “I will tell you this, like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and I trust that whoever they vote for… that is my president who I will support 100%.”

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Biden takes aim at Trump

What did Johnson say about cancel culture?

Asked what was important to him, he said: “To be real and to be direct and to be open and to be transparent… that’s important to me.

“In today’s easy cancel culture world and cancel culture, woke culture, this culture, that culture, division, etc, that really bugs me.”

“In the spirit of that, you either succumb and be what you think other people want you to be or you go: ‘Well no, that’s not who I am, I’m going to be myself and I’m going to be real’… and that may get people upset, it may piss people off, and that’s okay.

“But it took me some time to recognise that.”

Johnson said he didn’t realise the power of fame until he “got down the road a little bit”.

He said he later realised fame is “a superpower when used correctly… when you can use it to influence people”, adding it could be used to make people more “direct” and “honest”.

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‘Biden the worst president in US history’

Why is Johnson being criticised?

Many on social media have accused Johnson of playing it too safe for the sake of his public image and wide appeal.

Others have said he could have simply stayed quiet on the matter, rather than announcing he would not be publicly supporting Mr Biden again.

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Some have suggested his comments are an indirect endorsement of Donald Trump, claiming Johnson’s lack of support for Mr Biden benefits Republicans more than Democrats.

Johnson’s comments were booed by the studio audience on chat show The View after a clip of the Fox interview was played.

Sky News has contacted Johnson’s representatives for comment.

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What did Johnson say in 2020?

The actor interviewed Mr Biden and then running mate Kamala Harris ahead of what he called “arguably the most critical election our country has seen in decades”.

In a video shared on his social media accounts, Johnson told his followers that endorsing a candidate “is something that I’ve certainly not done in the past, so I’m going to go big – you guys know me, if I go, I go big!”

“As a registered independent for years now with centrist ideologies, I do feel that vice president Biden and senator Harris are the best choice to lead our country and I am endorsing them to become president and vice president of our United States,” he said at the time.

Johnson talked about political careers of Mr Biden and Ms Harris and said her experience proved she is “smart” and “tough” and a “certified badass”.

The Rock, who said he had voted for both parties in the past, also criticised Donald Trump in 2021, suggesting the then-president was absent in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.

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Johnson hits out at Donald Trump in aftermath of George Floyd’s death

Could The Rock still run for president himself?

Johnson has long touted the idea of becoming the US president himself, previously saying he would “consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted”.

He first made the suggestion in 2017, telling GQ it was “a real possibility” and later revealed he had even considered running in the 2020 election.

Late last year, he said more than one political party had asked him if he was interested in running at the end of 2022.

Asked in his latest interview if he still intended to run, Johnson told Fox News: “As of now – no, that’s not my intention… I’m not a politician. I’m not into politics.

“I care deeply about our country. I’m a patriot… and right now, my desire and my priorities are my babies and school drop-offs and pickups and things like that. That’s important to me.”

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Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

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Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

Stock markets around the world fell on Thursday after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs – with some economists now fearing a recession.

The US president announced tariffs for almost every country – including 10% rates on imports from the UK – on Wednesday evening, sending financial markets reeling.

While the UK’s FTSE 100 closed down 1.55% and the continent’s STOXX Europe 600 index was down 2.67% as of 5.30pm, it was American traders who were hit the most.

Trump tariffs latest: US stock markets tumble

All three of the US’s major markets opened to sharp losses on Thursday morning.

A person works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, March 31, 2025. Pic: AP
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The S&P 500 is set for its worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. File pic: AP

By 8.30pm UK time (3.30pm EST), The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 3.7%, the S&P 500 opened with a drop of 4.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 5.6%.

Compared to their values when Donald Trump was inaugurated, the three markets were down around 5.6%, 8.7% and 14.4%, respectively, according to LSEG.

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Worst one-day losses since COVID

As Wall Street trading ended at 9pm in the UK, two indexes had suffered their worst one-day losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The S&P 500 fell 4.85%, the Nasdaq dropped 6%, and the Dow Jones fell 4%.

It marks Nasdaq’s biggest daily percentage drop since March 2020 at the start of COVID, and the largest drop for the Dow Jones since June 2020.

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The latest numbers on tariffs

‘Trust in President Trump’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN earlier in the day that Mr Trump was “doubling down on his proven economic formula from his first term”.

“To anyone on Wall Street this morning, I would say trust in President Trump,” she told the broadcaster, adding: “This is indeed a national emergency… and it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it.”

Later, the US president told reporters as he left the White House that “I think it’s going very well,” adding: “The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom.”

He later said on Air Force One that the UK is “happy” with its tariff – the lowest possible levy of 10% – and added he would be open to negotiations if other countries “offer something phenomenal”.

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How is the world reacting to Trump’s tariffs?

Economist warns of ‘spiral of doom’

The turbulence in the markets from Mr Trump’s tariffs “just left everybody in shock”, Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions in Boston, told Reuters.

He added that the economy could go into recession as a result, saying that “a lot of the pain, will probably most acutely be felt in the US and that certainly would weigh on broader global growth as well”.

Meanwhile, chief investment officer at St James’s Place Justin Onuekwusi said that international retaliation is likely, even as “it’s clear countries will think about how to retaliate in a politically astute way”.

He warned: “Significant retaliation could lead to a tariff ‘spiral of doom’ that could be the growth shock that drags us into recession.”

Read more:
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Tariffs about something more than economics: power

It comes as the UK government published a long list of US products that could be subject to reciprocal tariffs – including golf clubs and golf balls.

Running to more than 400 pages, the list is part of a four-week-long consultation with British businesses and suggests whiskey, jeans, livestock, and chemical components.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the US president had launched a “new era” for global trade and that the UK will respond with “cool and calm heads”.

It also comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a 25% tariff on all American-imported vehicles that are not compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.

He added: “The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership, when it forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect and championed the free and open exchange of goods and services, is over. This is a tragedy.”

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Trump’s tariffs are about something more than economics: power

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Trump's tariffs are about something more than economics: power

Tanking stock markets, collapsing world orders, devastating trade wars; economists with their hair ablaze are scrambling to keep up.

But as we try to make sense of Donald Trumps’s tariff tsunami, economic theory only goes so far. In the end this surely is about something more primal.

Power.

Understanding that may be crucial to how the world responds.

Yes, economics helps explain the impact. The world’s economy has after all shifted on its axis, the way it’s been run for decades turned on its head.

Instead of driving world trade, America is creating a trade war. We will all feel the impact.

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PM will ‘fight’ for deal with US

Donald Trump says he is settling scores, righting wrongs. America has been raped, looted and pillaged by the world trading system.

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But don’t be distracted by the hyperbole – and if you think this is about economics alone, you may be missing the point.

Above all, tariffs give Donald Trump power. They strike fear into allies and enemies, from governments to corporations.

This is a president who runs his presidency like a medieval emperor or mafia don.

It is one reason why since his election we have seen what one statesman called a conga line of sycophants make their way to the White House, from world leaders to titans of industry.

The conga line will grow longer as they now redouble their efforts hoping to special treatment from Trump’s tariffs. Sir Keir Starmer among them.

President Trump’s using similar tactics at home, deploying presidential power to extract concessions and deter dissent in corporate America, academia and the US media. Those who offer favours are spared punishment.

His critics say he seeks a form power for the executive or presidential branch of government that the founding fathers deliberately sought to prevent.

Whether or not that is true, the same playbook of divide and rule through intimidation can now be applied internationally. Thanks to tariffs

Each country will seek exceptions but on Trump’s terms. Those who retaliate may meet escalation.

This is the unforgiving calculus for governments including our own plotting their next moves.

The temptation will be to give Trump whatever he wants to spare their economies, but there is a jeopardy that compounds the longer this goes on.

Read more:
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Trump hits island home only to penguins with 10% tariffs

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng gestures to Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves following a photo session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Florence Lo/Pool Photo via AP)
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Could America’s traditional allies turn to China? Pic: AP

Malcolm Turnbull, the former Australian prime minister who coined the conga line comparison, put it this way: “Pretty much all the international leaders I have seen that have sucked up to Trump have been run over. The reality is if you suck up to bullies, whether it’s global affairs or in the playground, you just get more bullying.”

Trading partners may be able to mitigate the impact of these tariffs through negotiation, but that may only encourage this unorthodox president to demand ever more?

Ultimately the world will need a more reliable superpower than that.

In the hands of such a president, America cannot be counted on.

When it comes to security, stability and prosperity, allies will need to fend for themselves.

And they will need new friends. If Washington can’t be relied on, Beijing beckons.

America First will, more and more, mean America on its own.

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‘A genius actor’, ‘firecracker’, and ‘my friend’: Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

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'A genius actor', 'firecracker', and 'my friend': Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

Actors, directors and celebrity friends have paid tribute to Val Kilmer, after he died aged 65.

The California-born star of Top Gun, Batman and Heat died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes told the Associated Press.

She said Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered.

Tributes flooded in after reports broke of the actor’s death, with No Country For Old Men star Josh Brolin among the first to share their memories.

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Watch: Val Kilmer in his most iconic roles

He wrote on Instagram: “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those.

“I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”

Kyle Maclachlan, who co-starred with Kilmer in the 1991 biopic The Doors, wrote on social media: “You’ll always be my Jim. See you on the other side my friend.”

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Michael Mann, who directed Kilmer in 1995’s Heat, also paid tribute in a statement, saying: “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.

“After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

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Heat co-star Danny Trejo also called Kilmer “a great actor, a wonderful person, and a dear friend of mine” on Instagram.

Cher, who once dated the actor, said on X that “U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND… BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness”.

Lifelong friend and director of Twixt, Francis Ford Coppola said: “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life.

“He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know – I will always remember him.”

The Top Gun account on X also said it was remembering Kilmer, who starred as Iceman in both the 1986 original and 2022 sequel, and “whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations”.

Nicolas Cage added that “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing”.

“I thought he was a genius actor,” he said. “I enjoyed working with him on Bad Lieutenant and I admired his commitment and sense of humor.

“He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”

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