President-elect Donald Trump named three film stars—Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone—as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood on Thursday, as the president-elect continues to garner more support from the pop culture world than he did four years ago.
US President Donald Trump (R) stands with actor Jon Voight outside the Oval Office before departing … [+] from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 28, 2020.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump said in a post on Truth Social the three will serve as ambassadors to the “great but very troubled place” of Hollywood, and will work as his “eyes and ears” on the ground in pursuit of bringing back “The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
All three actors have indicated support for Trump: In October, when asked who he was voting for, Gibson told TMZ he didn’t think his vote would surprise anyone and that he believed Vice President Kamala Harris had “the IQ of a fence post” and “a miserable track record.”
Voight—the 85-year-old actor best known for “Coming Home” and “Midnight Cowboy”—has been a vocal Trump supporter for years and, in October, said “we’re now in a time of the darkest plague ever” and called Trump “the only one who will save our country.”
Stallone, for his part, had not made his support for Trump too well-known until after Trump won the election and Stallone introduced him at a gala, calling him the “second George Washington” and saying, “nobody in the world could’ve pulled off what he pulled off.”
Trump’s team did not immediately answer Forbes’ request for comment on what exactly the role will entail.
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What Will Trump’s Hollywood Ambassadors Do?
It’s not clear yet. Trump said in a Truth Social post they will “serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” Trump didn’t give details on what he’d like to change—or how the envoys could fit into his plans—but TV and movie filming has shifted from Southern California to other states and foreign countries for years, as productions are lured to shoot in locations with better tax incentives and lower costs. Filming in Hollywood was down last year, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which also reported last year that other countries like Canada and Australia have been working to lure shoots away from California.
Key Background
Many big Hollywood names came out in support of Harris ahead of November’s presidential election, including actors Viola Davis, Dick Van Dyke, Will Ferrell, Harrison Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio and more. Fewer actors publicized support for Trump, though Dennis Quaid, Roseanna Barr and Zachary Levi endorsed him prior to the election. Trump has also gained more support from the pop culture world than he had in 2016 or 2020. At least half a dozen musicians including Carrie Underwood and the Village People—who acknowledged their preferred candidate lost—will be playing his inauguration or related events, a shift from 2017 when the Trump team struggled to find high-level performers. More athletes have come out in support of him, as well.
Surprising Fact
During his first term, Trump gave Voight the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to arts patrons and artists by the government. He bestowed the honor in 2019, when he also honored musician Alison Krauss, Sharon Percy Rockefeller and the musicians of the military, the Associated Press reported.
What To Watch For
If Gibson, Stallone and Voight make an appearance at Trump’s inauguration events. Trump will return to the White House on Monday, and has events planned beginning Saturday evening.
Further Reading
Trump Inauguration: Here’s What To Know About Guest List, Schedule, Performers And More (Forbes)
