(The Hill) — Sylvester Stallone says President-elect Trump is as legendary as America’s first commander in chief, praising him as the “second George Washington.”
“When George Washington defended this country, he had no idea that he was gonna change the world,” the “Rocky” star said while speaking at the America First Policy Insititute gala on Thursday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida.
“Because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like,” Stallone told the crowd.
“Guess what? We got the second George Washington,” Stallone said to applause. The 78-year-old actor also compared Trump to the title character in his 1976 film.
President-elect Donald Trump greets actor Sylvester Stallone during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“When I did ‘Rocky,’ remember the first image was a picture of Jesus,” Stallone said. In the opening scene of the movie, Stallone recalled, “the image pans out from Jesus onto Rocky being hit.”
“And at that moment, he was a chosen person. And that’s how I began the journey. Something was going to happen. This man was going to go through a metamorphosis and change lives — just like President Trump,” Stallone said.
“We’re in the presence of a really mythical character. I love mythology. And this individual does not exist on this planet. Nobody in the world could’ve pulled off what he pulled off — so I’m in awe,” Stallone said as he introduced Trump at the right-wing think tank’s gala event.
Stallone has been spotted several times at Mar-a-Lago over the years. In 2018, Trump said he pardoned late heavyweight boxing great Jack Johnson at the urging of Stallone.
