For four years, Donald Trump equated empathy with weakness, called people who were suffering “losers,” and played “Macho Man” at campaign rallies. Now Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is modeling a different kind of manliness, happily telling his followers that he “cried a tear or two — or ten” celebrating the Biden-Harris victory.
A self-described “political independent and centrist,” Johnson shocked some of his fans with a September endorsement of Joe Biden. Then yesterday, November 8th, The Rock shared an Instagram video revealing the depth of his support. He said he, “got a little emotional,” hearing the race had been called for Biden, adding,
“I may have cried a tear, or two, or ten, but they were all very manly, all my tears were manly. But the reason why I got emotional yesterday was because of what I felt my vote represented. I was talking to Lauren, my wife, and we were talking about our two little baby girls. And that’s exactly what my vote represented. My vote represented my little daughters, my vote represented humanity, my vote represented decency. It represented the values and principles which we teach our little girls.”
Admittedly, his joke about “manly tears” has roots in toxic ideas of masculinity. But at its core, Johnson’s message emphasizes empathy and normalizes healthy expressions of male emotion. Besides, if there’s one lesson we can take from the campaign of Joe Biden, it’s that awkward allies are better than no allies at all.
Elsewhere in the video, Johnson spoke about what Kamala Harris’ election meant to him as a man of color, why he felt compelled to speak out against Trump, and his hope that Republicans and Democrats will find unity and common ground. Addressing his fans who may have voted for Trump, Johnson said, “I acknowledge your disappointment; I acknowledge your pain. We’ve all been there. We have fought for things we’ve believed in with our heart and our passion and our guts, and we lose. It doesn’t feel good and I want you to know that I’m still here.”
“And I’m not turning my back on you just because we have a difference of opinion, just because you voted for somebody else,” he continued. “No, I’m still right here. And I’m still right here for you. We’ve still got this relationship and I’m going to make sure that I continue to do everything that I can possibly do to make sure that we’re all working together as a unified front. Unity.”
To that point, Johnson ended his video by toasting everyone who voted — regardless of their political affiliation — and took a giant swig of tequila. Check out the clip below.
Earlier this year, Johnson and his family tested positive for the novel coronavirus, though everyone seems to have made a full recovery. Over the summer, he bought the bankrupt XFL from Vince McMahon.