Dwayne Johnson is third most popular presidential candidate after Joe Biden and Trump, say UK bookmakers
Dwayne Johnson is the third most backed presidential candidate after Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Though the 48-year-old has mostly distanced himself from politics, many people have suggested that he would make the ideal candidate for the 2020 US election. Now, UK bookmakers have also added him to the presidential list, not in the official one, though.
According to reports, Johnson was added to the list after his passionate speech on Black Lives Matter. He also criticized Trump for his lack of leadership in the fallout of George Floyd’s death. The 46-year-old African-American died on May 25 after former Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. The Rock condemned the attack and asked the current president, “Where are you?” in his powerful speech posted on Instagram as well as on Twitter.
“Our country is crippled and on its knees, begging to be heard and pleading for change. Where is our compassionate leader? The leader who unifies and inspires our country at our most painful time when we need it the most. The leader who steps up and takes full accountability for our country and embraces every color in it. The leader who picks our country up off its knees and says you have my word - we got this - and together, the change will happen. Where are you? Because we’re all here. Maybe one day that galvanizing leader will emerge. Either way, the process to change has already begun,” Johnson wrote in the post shared on social media sites along with a clip of his fiery speech.
Impressed by his speech, the UK bettors added the ‘Baywatch’ star to the 2020 US Election betting market. They have currently priced him at +40000, which suggests there is only a 0.2 percent chance Johnson will win the 2020 election. A site called OddsChecker has stated that the WWE star is the third-most-popular candidate after Biden and Trump, accounting for 3.34 percent of all bets.
Johnson is reportedly no stranger to delivering powerful speeches. He also has a staggering number of followers on Instagram - 185 million. So, it would not be a surprise if he would enter politics. In an interview with ‘Rolling Stone’ in 2018, the former pro wrestler said: “I'm not ruling out the idea if I could make a bigger impact somehow, or potentially surround myself with good people."
Meanwhile, earlier in the week, Trump was replaced by 77-year-old Democratic candidate Biden as the favorite in the 2020 US election betting market. But still, 73-year-old Trump is a dominant force with bettors.
Floyd’s death has triggered nationwide protests in the US with people coming out on the streets daily despite the coronavirus pandemic. Several celebrities have also joined the demonstrators while many have spoken out against racism and police brutality.
The latest celebrity to join the protesters was Ayesha Curry, who later shared her experience at the Oakland Black Lives Matter protests on Instagram and encouraged her fans to “show up however you can and keep showing up”. She joined the protests in Oakland, California, on June 3. Taking to the social media platform, Curry shared pictures and a video of the peaceful protests happening in the city.
“Today was filled with many emotions. On one hand, I was overwhelmed with happiness to see my community show up, yet again to fight for what is right. I witnessed people from all different backgrounds peacefully protesting. People out for a jog or walk noticing the crowd and putting their own needs on pause to join the cause and march with us,” the 31-year-old actress wrote in the social media Instagram post.