Donald Trump has denied director Chris Columbus' claims that he was “bullied” into appearing in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
The former US president said on his social media platform Truth Social that the film's production team was “begging me to do a cameo.”
Trump said of the 1992 film: “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 stubborn.
“I agreed and the rest is history! This little cameo took off like a rocket and the film was and still is a huge success, especially at Christmas time. People call me whenever it airs.”
The sequel to the 1990 comedy Home Alone grossed $359m (£280m) and was the third highest-grossing film of 1992.
In 2020, Columbus, who directed both films, told Business Insider that Trump's cameo was a condition of being allowed to film at the Plaza Hotel in addition to the usual fee.
“He actually forced his way into the movie,” said Columbus, who reported Trump saying, “You can’t use the Plaza unless I’m in the movie.”
But Trump said on Truth Social this week: “Nothing could be further from the truth,” adding that his appearance gave the film a significant boost. “That cameo contributed to the success of the film, but if they felt bullied or didn't want me, then why did they take me in and keep me there for over 30 years? Because I was and am great for the film, that's why! Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick Trump endorsement fix for himself!”
The Home Alone films, in which Macaulay Culkin plays a young boy who is accidentally abandoned by his family and has to fight burglars played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, have become a staple of Christmas viewing.
In a recent interview, Pesci recalled the experience of watching the film as one of striking “spontaneity and creativity.” He also remembered “sustain[ing] “severe burns to my head” in a scene where his character's hat is set on fire.
In 2019, some Trump supporters complained when his cameo was removed from a segment of the film shown on television in Canada. At the time, Trump said he suspected it was orchestrated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid a dispute between the two countries over trade tariffs.
A CBC spokesman denied this, saying the film was purchased by the network for broadcast and cut in 2014, and that Trump's scene was one of several that were left out because they were “not integral to the plot.”
In 2021, Culkin said he was “sold” on the idea of digitally removing Trump from the film.
Trump was notorious for his cameo appearances in films and television shows in the '80s and '90s. In 2017, Matt Damon supported Columbus' claim that Trump insisted on appearing in productions that wanted to feature his characteristics, telling the Hollywood Reporter that such cameos were often cut from the final cut.