Director of Home Alone 2 Calls Trump’s Cameo a ‘Curse,’ Expresses Hesitation to Remove It
The first two installments of the Home Alone series have become beloved holiday classics, but the director, Chris Columbus, has mixed feelings about one notable cameo. Columbus has described President Donald Trump’s seven-second appearance in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as a “curse,” expressing a desire to eliminate the scene, even 33 years later.
At 66 years old, Columbus is hesitant to make any cuts, fearing possible backlash if he were to remove Trump from the film. “I can’t cut it,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “If I cut it, I’ll probably be sent out of the country. I’ll be seen as unfit to live in the United States, so I might have to head back to Italy or something.”
His comment alludes to the mass deportations of Venezuelan ‘criminals’ that occurred under the Trump administration.
Columbus has previously reflected on the circumstances surrounding Trump’s involvement, noting that the real-estate mogul’s insistence to be included left a lasting impression. In a 2020 interview with Business Insider, he recalled how their interaction unfolded.
“Like many locations in New York City, we needed to pay a fee to shoot at our desired location,” Columbus explained. “We approached The Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, because we wanted to film in the lobby. We couldn’t replicate The Plaza on a soundstage. Trump agreed, but added, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie.’”
With little choice, Columbus and his team acquiesced, including Trump in the film. When they screened the movie for the first time, Columbus noted an unexpected audience reaction: “People cheered when Trump appeared on-screen. I told my editor to keep him in the movie. It created a moment for the audience. But he definitely maneuvered his way into it.”
In response, Trump countered Columbus’s remarks in a 2023 post on Truth Social, accusing the director of trying to ride the wave of his past fame. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” Trump asserted. “That cameo contributed to the movie’s success; if they felt pressured, why did they include me for over 30 years? Because I was—and still am—great for the film!”
Interestingly, Trump’s cameo was removed from the version aired on Canadian TV in 2019, with CBC explaining the decision was made because the scene was “not integral to the plot.”
