In a post-Trump world, it suddenly feels like anything is possible in American politics. So the news that a presidential campaign has been filed with the official authorities to allow Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to run in 2020, no longer feels terribly shocking. In fact the idea that the former professional wrestler turned action movie hero might step into politics is strangely compelling to anyone who wants to ensure that Donald Trump's White House stay has a four-year maximum.
So far, the man himself has refused to confirm (or deny) that he's considering a Presidential run, and he certainly hasn't got as far as declaring for a particular party. The paperwork was filed on the actor's behalf by a West Virginian man named Kenton Tilford, and no-one quite knows who he is or what relationship, if any, he has to The Rock. Yet there are a few reasons to believe that this might be more than an elaborate – and now widely-reported – prank: in 2010 the self-titled 'most electrifying man in sports entertainment' told Vanity Fair that he 'wouldn't rule it out' when asked about running for President, adding that it would offer 'a great opportunity to help people'. And when a Washington Post reporter wrote a few months later on his potential chances for the world's top job, he responded on Instagram, calling the idea 'very alluring'.
It's all hypothetical at the moment, but it's quite a thing to imagine. Picture televised presidential debates between Johnson and Trump, at least one of which ends with the pair revisiting their past lives in the WWE. Imagine President Johnson (a good presidential name, that), demonstrating his magnificent eyebrow control at the 2021 inauguration. America has been led by a former actor before, and at least this one has a fair amount of self-control on social media.
Of course, as Trump has proved, he'd have to win over evangelical Christians to have any hope of 'laying the smackdown' on Trump and landing in the Oval office. So what are his faith credentials? Interestingly, as reported on this site in 2015, Johnson has already spoken publicly about his Christian faith, and how it helped him to overcome his battle with depression. Specifically, he told Oprah Winfrey 'I have my own special relationship with God', while he listed his faith on social media sites as 'Christian - other' in an apparent refusal to commit to a particular denomination. Largely though, it seems that he sees his faith as a private matter, and is rarely found talking explicitly about it in the way that fellow actors like Denzel Washington or Chris Pratt do.
Politically, he's not demonstrated total affiliation to a particular party, and in 2000 attended both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. He was also part of a campaign within the wrestling community to increase voter turnout, which again did not tag itself to either party. As a confirmed friend of former Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, he again told Fox News that he 'wouldn't rule out' following in his fellow action hero's footsteps, and confirmed that he was 'passionate about politics'.
Whether he's about to make that move now remains to be seen. If he does, his blend of All-American heroism and apparent desire to do good could make him a fascinating candidate when global politics' greatest political circus begins again. If he has any hope of being successful however, he'll need plenty of Christians to get behind him, and that'll mean talking far more explicitly about his faith in Jesus.
If he does, could those evangelicals who 'held their noses' to vote for Trump, perhaps be prepared to 'smell what The Rock is cooking?'
Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
