(WatchDogReport.org) – Movie star and former pro-wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has met with Democrat and Republican senators to discuss ways in which to boost military recruitment. Johnson’s visit to Capitol Hill also involved meeting several members of the armed forces as well as the US Capitol Police, who later shared a photo to Instagram of their members posing with their celebrity guest. While Democrat Senator Jon Tester’s office organized the main discussion with senators, several Republicans also attended, including Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
While the meeting covered topics such as the XFL, a football league owned in part by Johnson, the main focus was reportedly how to encourage more people to enlist in the military. US armed forces have struggled to meet its recruitment targets in recent years — with a 25% shortfall in recruitment in 2022.
Democratic Senator for Arizona, Mark Kelly, formerly a NASA astronaut and navy pilot, told reporters that some of his best memories are from his time serving in the military. He added that one of the meeting aims was to discuss how better to tell positive stories about military careers in order to attract potential recruits; he went on to express his confidence in Johnson’s ability to do just that, adding that as a successful entertainer, Johnson is able to reach around 600 million worldwide.
Johnson has dipped his toe into political waters before, offering his official endorsement in 2020 to the Democrat candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, now President and Vice President respectively. He described his own views as politically centrist and has stated that he has voted for both left and right-wing presidential candidates in the past. Rumors have circulated in recent years that his political activities could include running for the US Presidency, something which he has discussed publicly.
Speaking on Trevor Noah’s ‘What Now?’ podcast in early November, Johnson said that he had been approached by more than one political party in 2022 about the possibility of running for president. He also told Jimmy Fallon that a poll had suggested that 50% of Americans would support him launching a presidential campaign.
While his recent activities in the heart of the US government may have inspired more speculation about his political intent, the actor said that he wants to focus on being a father to his three daughters, the youngest of whom is five years old. However, he did not rule out the possibility of running for president in the future, saying that he would definitely consider the option sometime “down the road.”
Copyright 2023, WatchDogReport.org
