‘The Rock’ lauds Trump’s defiance in assassination attempt: ‘We wanted to see that’

Donald Trump’s toughness impresses even The Rock.

Professional wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson said the country needed to see the former president’s defiance earlier this summer in the face of a would-be assassin’s bullet.

Mr. Johnson praised Mr. Trump when asked about his friendship with the former casino mogul and sometime wrestling performer and about the Pennsylvania shooting, which produced an iconic photo of a blood-spattered Mr. Trump raising his fist in the air and telling his followers to keep fighting.

“Whether you love Donald, don’t love Donald, it doesn’t matter. They tried to assassinate him. There’s no room for that. Despite it being who we were in that moment, I still believe in my core that is not who we are as a country. So him standing up at that moment, we wanted to see that,” Mr. Johnson said at the Vault Conference last week in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The former wrestling superstar and Hollywood box-office champion described Mr. Trump as a “fan” of his.

“He used to come watch me wrestle all the time at Madison Square Garden. It was great. First time I saw him, he said ‘let me see the eyebrows,’” “the Rock” joked, immediately drawing laughter by making a face referencing a popular internet joke.

Mr. Johnson endorsed President Biden in the 2020 presidential race, despite his personal ties to Mr. Trump, though he later said he regretted making such a statement and has said he will not endorse anyone this time around.