Sylvester Stallone fans had a lot to say after he revealed himself to be a supporter of Donald Trump and compared the new president to fictional boxing champion Rocky Balboa.
The 78-year-old actor, who portrayed Rocky in the popular movie franchise, made his stance clear while attending the America First Policy Institute Gala at Mar-a-Lago on November 14.
The black tie event was also attended by numerous controversial figures, including Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has been chosen to head up the health department.
Delivering a speech at the event, Stallone hailed Trump as a “mythical character” and declared that his victory at the polls as the kind that nobody else “in the world could have pulled off”.
He told the room: “When I first made Rocky, if you remeber the first image was a picture of Jesus and it said ‘Resurrection, AC Club’. I found a church that had been converted into a boxing ring.
“So the image pans down from Jesus on to Rocky being hit and that moment he was the chosen person, and that’s how I began the journey. Something was going to happen, this man was going to go through a metamorphosis and change lives. Just like President Trump.”
He continued: “We’re in the presence of a real mythical character. I love mythology. This individual does not exist on this planet. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe.”
The US star took his appraisal one step further further by branding him “the second George Washington”.
“And I’ll say just this, and i mean it. When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world. Cause without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We got the second George Washington. Congratulations.”
Trump’s win has proved controversial, especially in Hollywood where the number of those working in entertainment publicly endorsing the opposition leader Kamala Harris outnumbered those who were vocal for their support for Trump.
Stallone’s words were met with a stunned reaction online from fans, with many taking to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to weigh-in.
“What the hell @TheSlyStallone.. you have three daughters. How can you support someone who shows nothing but contempt and disrespect towards women?!” fumed one person.
“Lost all sympathy for Stallone, won’t even rewatch Rocky this Thanksgiving,” remarked a second.
“Well, that just ruined Rocky for me,” agreed another.
