Chris Columbus, director of “Home Alone 2,” now calls Donald Trump’s brief cameo in the Christmas classic a “curse” and wishes it never happened, reigniting a heated debate about the intersection of Hollywood and politics.

At a Glance

• Chris Columbus claims Trump “bullied” his way into “Home Alone 2” by making his appearance a condition for using the Plaza Hotel
• The director now calls the 7-second cameo a “curse” and an “albatross” he wishes he could remove
• Trump disputes Columbus’s account, claiming the director begged him to appear and that the cameo helped make the movie successful
• The film was a major box office success, costing $18 million to make while earning $475 million

A Seven-Second Scene Causing Decades of Controversy

The brief scene showing Donald Trump giving directions to Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister in the Plaza Hotel lobby has become more contentious than anyone could have imagined when filming the 1992 Christmas comedy. According to Columbus, Trump made his cameo a requirement for using the New York City landmark, which Trump owned at the time. While the film crew had already paid the standard location fee, Columbus claims Trump added this unexpected condition during production.

The dispute over how Trump ended up in the movie has intensified in recent years. Columbus insists Trump leveraged his ownership of the Plaza to force his way into the film, while Trump maintains he was reluctant but eventually agreed after persistent requests from the production team. The competing narratives reveal how even a fleeting movie moment can become entangled in political discourse decades later.

The Director’s Regrets

Columbus no longer hides his displeasure about including Trump in the film. In recent interviews, he expressed strong feelings about the cameo’s lasting impact on the beloved holiday classic. “Years later, it’s become this curse. It’s become this thing that I wish it was not there,” Columbus told Fox News, adding that the brief scene has become “an albatross” for him.

“We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie.’ So we agreed to put him in the movie.”, said Chris Columbus.

The director even joked about his fear of removing the scene, saying, “I can’t cut it. If I cut it, I’ll probably be sent out of the country. I’ll be considered sort of not fit to live in the United States, so I’ll have to go back to Italy or something.” Despite this being presented as humor, many viewers see it as revealing Columbus’s genuine political concerns about potential backlash from Trump supporters.

Trump’s Forceful Response

The former president has not remained silent on the matter. When the controversy reemerged in 2023, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to dispute Columbus’s version of events. Trump claimed he was initially reluctant to appear in the film but eventually agreed after persistent requests from the production team. He categorically denied forcing his way into the movie.

“I was very busy, and didn’t want to do it. They were very nice, but above all, persistent. I agreed, and the rest is history! That little cameo took off like a rocket, and the movie was a big success, and still is, especially around Christmas time. People call me whenever it is aired. Now, however, 30 years later, Columbus (what was his real name?) put out a statement that I bullied myself into the movie. Nothing could be further from the truth. That cameo helped make the movie a success … Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick fix of Trump publicity for himself!”, said President Donald Trump.

The Bigger Picture: Cinema, Politics, and Preservation

The controversy raises important questions about retroactively altering films based on changing political sentiments. In 2019, Canadian broadcaster CBC removed Trump’s cameo from their airing of the film, claiming it was cut for time constraints—a decision that sparked its own heated debate. The situation mirrors other instances where content has been modified or removed due to evolving cultural or political attitudes.

For many Americans, particularly those who grew up with the film, the controversy seems overblown for what amounts to a 7-second scene featuring a businessman who wasn’t yet a polarizing political figure. The film’s enduring popularity—having cost just $18 million to make while earning $475 million—suggests that audiences continue to embrace it regardless of the brief Trump appearance.

Whether Columbus will eventually follow through and remove the cameo remains to be seen. Such a move would likely spark further debate about artistic integrity, historical preservation, and the growing tendency to rewrite cultural artifacts based on current political sensibilities. For now, the scene remains intact in most versions of the film, a small but increasingly controversial moment in a holiday favorite.