Staff Reports
The latest Hollywood drama isn’t coming from a blockbuster script, but from the director’s chair of a beloved Christmas classic. Chris Columbus, the man behind “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” has reignited controversy by lamenting Donald Trump’s now-iconic cameo in the film, calling it a “curse” and an “albatross.” According to Columbus, Trump only allowed the production to film in his Plaza Hotel if he was given a role in the movie—a deal that the director now wishes he could undo. Columbus even joked that if he tried to cut the scene today, he’d probably be deported, a tongue-in-cheek jab at the current political climate.
Let’s be honest: the outrage over Trump’s seven-second appearance is as exaggerated as it is revealing. When the film first premiered, audiences cheered at Trump’s cameo. The scene, in which Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister asks Trump for directions, quickly became a fan favorite. The idea that a brief, lighthearted moment in a family movie could become a source of national hand-wringing decades later says more about Hollywood’s obsession with political correctness than anything Trump did. It’s no wonder Columbus decided to leave the scene after seeing the positive reaction from regular Americans, not the elites in the industry.
The back-and-forth between Columbus and Trump has only added fuel to the fire. Trump, for his part, has pushed back on claims that he forced his way into the movie, insisting that the production team was “begging” him for the cameo and that his appearance helped make the film a success. Regardless of who’s telling the full story, it’s clear that Trump’s larger-than-life persona was already cemented in the fabric of New York City at the time. For many, his cameo is as much a part of the film’s Big Apple charm as the Plaza Hotel itself.
What’s truly telling is how quickly calls to erase Trump’s cameo have gained traction among Hollywood insiders and activists, with some even floating the idea of digitally replacing him with other public figures. This is the height of revisionist history—scrubbing away a harmless, humorous moment simply because it features someone who later became a political lightning rod. It’s a slippery slope when art and entertainment are retroactively censored to appease the loudest voices on social media.
In the end, “Home Alone 2” remains a cherished holiday tradition for millions of families, Trump cameo and all. The fact that a fleeting scene can trigger such disproportionate outrage only highlights the disconnect between Hollywood’s gatekeepers and the everyday Americans who just want to enjoy a good movie. If anything, the enduring debate over those seven seconds is a testament to Trump’s knack for staying in the spotlight—and a reminder that, in America, even a Christmas classic isn’t safe from the culture wars.
