If you watched Home Alone 2 over the holidays, you likely caught Donald Trump making a brief cameo. The scene was filmed at the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, and found Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) asking him for directions.
While speaking with Business Insider in 2020, Home Alone 2 director Chris Columbus claimed that Donald Trump “bullied” his way into the movie. “Like most locations in New York City, you just pay a fee and you are allowed to shoot in that location,” Columbus said. “We approached The Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, because we wanted to shoot in the lobby. We couldn’t rebuild The Plaza on a soundstage.“
Columbus continued: “Trump said OK. 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, and when we screened it for the first time the oddest thing happened: People cheered when Trump showed up on-screen. So I said to my editor, ‘Leave him in the movie. It’s a moment for the audience.’ But he did bully his way into the movie.“
Donald Trump obviously caught wind of Columbus’ comments as he took to social media to deny the claims, saying that the filmmakers were actually “begging” him to appear. “Director Chris Columbus, and others, were begging me to make a cameo appearance in Home Alone 2,” Trump wrote. “They rented the Plaza Hotel in New York, which I owned at the time. I was very busy, and didn’t want to do it. They were very nice, but above all, persistent. I agreed, and the rest is history!” The former President added that his cameo “took off like a rocket, and the movie was a big success, and still is, especially around Christmas time. People call me whenever it is aired.“
Trump added that “Nothing could be further from the truth” in response to Columbus’ claims that he bullied his way into the movie. “That cameo helped make the movie a success, but if they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in, and keep me there, for over 30 years?” Trump wrote. “Because I was, and still am, great for the movie, that’s why! Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick fix of Trump publicity for himself!“