Donald Trump has denied claims by the director of the film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” that he was blackmailed into a famous cameo role in that film.
The former president made a brief appearance in the 1992 film in a scene filmed at the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time.
Filmmaker Chris Columbus said Trump insisted on appearing in the film if he would use the hotel as a filming location.
However, Trump claims that the filmmakers “begged” him to appear in the film.
“I was very busy and I didn’t want to do it. They were very nice, but above all persistent,” he wrote on his platform Truth Social.
“I agreed, and the rest is history! That small cameo took off like a rocket and the movie was a huge success, and still is, especially around Christmas, he said, adding that “people call him whenever it airs.”
“If they felt mistreated or didn’t want me, why did they place me and keep me there for more than 30 years? Because I was, and still am, great for film, that’s why!,” Trump added.
Columbus’s comments were first made in an interview with Business Insider in 2020, though they received renewed attention on social media over Christmas.
The director said Trump asked to appear in the film for the usual fee for a hotel shoot.
“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,” said Columbus.
He also said that people “cheered” when Trump was shown in the screenings and that it became a “moment” for the audience.
