Staff Reports
The latest round of Hollywood handwringing has landed on the doorstep of a true American classic: “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” Not for its beloved holiday antics or Macaulay Culkin’s mischievous charm, but for a seven-second cameo by none other than Donald Trump. Director Chris Columbus, in a recent interview, called Trump’s brief appearance a “curse” and an “albatross,” lamenting that he ever agreed to let the future president appear onscreen. Columbus claims Trump insisted on being in the film as a condition for filming in the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time. Now, decades later, the director wishes he could erase the moment, but jokes he’d be “deported” if he did so.
Let’s be real: this is the kind of controversy that only the media and Hollywood elites could gin up. Trump’s cameo is a harmless, blink-and-you’ll miss-it moment where he simply gives young Kevin directions in the hotel lobby. Yet, the left-leaning entertainment press has managed to turn it into a cultural crisis, as if a brief shot of a New York business icon somehow taints an entire family film. It’s a perfect example of how obsessed some in Hollywood are with rewriting history to fit their current political narratives, even if it means erasing a piece of pop culture that millions of Americans fondly remember.
What’s truly telling is the reaction of audiences. When the film first screened, viewers cheered Trump’s appearance. He was, and remains, a symbol of New York’s larger-than-life spirit—a celebrity in his own right long before he entered politics. The fact that some now want to scrub him from the movie says more about the intolerance of today’s cancel culture than it does about Trump or the film itself. Are we really supposed to believe that a holiday classic enjoyed by families for generations is suddenly problematic because of a cameo?
Ironically, the more Hollywood fixates on this non-issue, the more they reveal their own disconnect from everyday Americans. Most viewers aren’t wringing their hands over who appears in a 30-year-old Christmas movie—they’re enjoying the nostalgia, the laughs, and the timeless message of family. If anything, the push to erase Trump’s cameo only strengthens the resolve of those who are tired of seeing their culture and traditions rewritten by a small, loud minority.
As the holiday season approaches, maybe it’s time to tune out the noise and enjoy “Home Alone 2” for what it is: a fun, family-friendly film that has stood the test of time. Trump’s cameo is a footnote, not a scandal. Let’s focus on what really matters—cherishing the traditions that bring us together, not the petty politics that try to pull us apart.
