Donald Trump has always been a showman, but he's looking for a little help to break through in Tinseltown.
The president-elect and former game show host gave in to his "Apprentice"-honed instincts on Thursday, kicking off a mad dash of Cabinet nominations on Thursday with a bit of razzle-dazzle. Trump tagged actors Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight to serve as his ambassadors to Hollywood, hoping the trio of MAGA allies could help usher in a new "Golden Age of Hollywood."
As a fan of the sort of vertical integration not allowed in the movie business since the Paramount Decrees, Trump announced his plan to turn two Expendables and Anjelina Jolie's father into a new Freed(om) Unit on his personal social media platform.
"It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California. They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!" he wrote. "These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest."
Voight has long been an ally of Trump and an outspoken conservative in Hollywood. Gibson, like Trump, has spent the last week floating conspiracy theories about the wildfires in Los Angeles. The "Braveheart" actor told Variety that the nomination came as a surprise.
“I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised. Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can,” Gibson told the outlet, before cracking a joke about his recently burned-down home. “Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?”
Stallone was initially on the fence about Trump but has seemingly warmed to the president-elect, having introduced him at a Mar-a-Lago gala late last year. The actor called Trump a "mythical character" and "the second George Washington" in a short speech that also compared the incoming president to Stallone's Rocky Balboa.
The seeming shot at "liberal Hollywood" comes as many actors, directors, crew members and regular residents of Los Angeles have lost their homes in the still-burning fires that have plagued Southern California.
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