Rocky Balboa won’t be running up the White House steps after all. Despite previous reports that President-elect Donald Trump was offering Sylvester Stallone a cushy arts post—chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, maybe—the actor has clarified that he‘s not joining the administration in any capacity.
Via his publicist, Sly released a statement on Sunday, according to Variety, saying he’s “incredibly flattered to have been suggested to be involved with the National Endowment of the Arts. However I believe I could be more effective by bringing national attention to returning military personnel in an effort to find gainful employment, suitable housing and financial assistance these heroes respectfully deserve.”
Fans of Stallone likely aren’t surprised that he was tapped by Trump. Stallone has supported other conservative politicians in the past, including John McCain, and spoke favorably of Trump back in January. “I love Donald Trump,” he told Variety during an interview. “He’s a great Dickensian character. You know what I mean? There are certain people like Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.”
The Oscar-nominated actor has also considered going into politics himself, particularly after the mayor of Philadelphia told him he could get elected. However, his wife easily talked him out of it. “She said, ‘Are you crazy? He’s just being nice,’” he told Variety. “‘You’re not going to be elected. You don’t have that insatiable need to be embraced by people.’”
Stallone's gentle two-step away from the White House (though his ears might perk up at an offer to work with Dept. of Veterans Affairs) marks yet another blow to the Trump administration’s attempt to find high-profile celebrity backers. The president-elect has struggled immensely to land A-list performers for his inauguration, thus far tapping only teen opera sensation Jackie Evancho.
Trump has, however, met with politically minded celebrities trying to appeal to his rational side. Leonardo DiCaprio, for example, met with the president-elect in early December to discuss climate change (which Trump has stated he does not believe in, even claiming it‘s a hoax created by China). It might have been to no avail, though, considering Trump’s pick to head up the Environmental Protection Agency.
