Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin backs Trump's removal from movie, Internet says 'book burning, 2021 style'
President Donald Trump has been censored from just about every major social media platform, but his critics want more. Now, there are increasing calls from the left asking for Trump's cameo from 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' to be removed - and it looks like the movie's star Macaulay Culkin is all for it. Trump made waves after surprising audiences with a brief appearance in the 1992 flick. However, his critics are now calling for him to be edited out following his ban from social media and the Capitol riots last week.
"Petition to digitally replace Trump in Home Alone 2 with 40-year-old Macaulay Culkin," a tweet read, to which the actor simply replied: "Sold."
One fan edited out Trump from the famous scene and shared it on Twitter, writing, "Due to popular request I have removed trump from home alone." Culkin responded to the post, writing, "Bravo."
Culkin and Trump briefly met in the movie as they walked in the halls of the New York Plaza Hotel, which the former real estate mogul owned from 1988 to 1995. Culkin, then a young child actor, was seen approaching the future president to ask for directions to the lobby. "Down the hall and to the left," Trump told Culkin. Netizens, however, did not approve of Culkin supporting the removal of Trump from the family blockbuster, with some likening it to modern-day "book burning." "Yep let's all start removing people from films and tv shows. Why stop there though? How about we go back to and remove Nazis and Hitler from war footage we all hate those too so let's start removing faces from history. Idiots. You are idiots if you think this is smart. #19842021," one tweeted.
"Aw, come on! We know he sucks, but this has gone too far. Besides, I've always liked that cameo because is really unexpected, even more taking account of today's context," another added.
"Book burning, 2021 style. Let’s be careful," a third chimed in.
Yep let's all start removing people from films and tv shows. Why stop there though? How about we go back to and remove Nazis and Hitler from war footage we all hate those too so let's start removing faces from history. Idiots. You are idiots if you think this is smart.
— DJV1985 (@DJVv1985) January 14, 2021
#19842021
Aw, come on!
— Universal Planet (@UniversalPlane2) January 14, 2021
We know he sucks, but this has gone too far. Besides, I've always liked that cameo because is really unexpected, even more taking account of today's context.
Director Christopher Columbus revealed last year that Trump would only allow his crew to film in the hotel if he could be a part of the movie. "Like most locations in New York City, you just pay a fee and you are allowed to shoot in that location," he explained to Insider. "We approached The Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, because we wanted to shoot in the lobby. 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," Columbus recalled. "So, I said to my editor, 'Leave him in the movie. It's a moment for the audience.'"
That said, the president himself is proud to be a part of the popular franchise. "Well, I'm in Home Alone 2," he said in 2019. "A lot of people mention it every year, especially around Christmas. They say, especially young kids, they say, 'I just saw you in the movie.' They don't see me on television as they do in the movie. But it's been a good movie and I was a little younger, to put it mildly. And it was an honor to do it."
"And it turned out to be a very big hit, obviously. It's a big Christmas hit -- one of the biggest," he added. "So, it's an honor to be involved in something like that, you always like to see success."
Trump has appeared as himself in a number of Hollywood movies and shows through the years, including 'Wall Street' and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.