Hollywood superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a surprise gesture of support to Donald Trump following the attempted assassination that shocked the nation last summer. The wrestler-turned-Hollywood star made a major political U-turn, backing away from his 2020 support for Joe Biden to defend Trump ahead of last year’s election. The star, who turns 53 on Friday, 2 May, said the country needed to see Trump’s defiant response when he raised a bloodied fist in the air after being shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Speaking at The Vault Conference 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida, Johnson praised Trump’s resilience when asked about their friendship and the now-iconic photo and publicly condemned Democrats for their hostile language, directly referencing the violent rhetoric swirling around the former president. “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,” Johnson said.

The Rock’s show of support marked a major shift from his previous political stance. In 2020, Johnson endorsed Joe Biden, but he has since distanced himself from politics, telling Fox & Friends in April: “The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time.”

He added: “I realize now going into this election, I will not do that, my goal is to bring this country together.”

Trump later revealed that he had been touched by a personal message from The Rock after the shooting.

Speaking to WWE legend The Undertaker during an interview on Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, Trump said: “I never thought he liked me, and I felt badly, because I think he’s a terrific guy.”

The 78-year-old president said UFC boss Dana White had been the one to deliver the news, telling him Johnson had been blown away by Trump’s bravery on stage.

“When I was shot, you may have heard about it, Rock called Dana White and said, ‘I want to have his number. I want to have his number. What he did is sort of incredible,'” Trump said.

“He considered it bravery. I don’t know, to me, I considered it, ‘What’s going on here?’ But it was very nice.”

Johnson also shared personal memories about Trump being a long-time fan of his wrestling career. “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,’” Johnson joked.

“I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box. Like a lot of us out there, not trusting of all politicians, I do trust the American people and whoever they vote for, that is my president and who I will support 100%,” Johnson said.

Johnson has also voiced frustration with “cancel culture” and “woke” policies, saying they “really bug me.”

Trump, who has long been linked to the wrestling world, previously made several appearances at WWE events before his runs for the White House, with Trump Plaza even hosting WrestleMania 4 and 5.