Bookies have placed their presidential bets on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson 2020.
According to Oddschecker, the WWE wrestler-turned-action star is now the third-most backed presidential choice among UK bookmakers, following President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. The website reports Johnson received a significant boost in the 2020 US Election betting market, accounting for 3.34 percent of all bets as of Friday. The surge was likely due to Johnson's now-viral "Where Are You?" speech in which he addressed the current state of the country and seemingly challenged Trump's ability to lead during civil unrest.
"Where are you? Where is our leader at this time? At this time when our country is down on its knees begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain, begging and pleading with its arms out just wanting to be heard," he said in the 8-minute video posted Wednesday. "Begging and pleading and praying for change. Where are you? Where is our compassionate leader who is going to step up to our country who is down on its knees and extend a hand and say 'You stand up. Stand up with me. Stand up with me, because I've got you. I've got you. I've got you, I hear you, I'm listening to you and you have my word that I'm going to do everything in my power, till my dying day, to my last breath to do everything I can to create the change that's needed, to normalize equality because black lives matter.' Where are you?"
Oddschecker reports the former pro-wrestler is now priced at +40,000, which means he only has a 0.2 percent chance of winning the presidency. Yes, the odds are extremely unlikely, but it's still pretty notable when you consider he isn't even running.
Johnson has expressed interest in a political career over the past several years but has said he has no intention of launching a campaign anytime soon.
"Unfortunately I don’t see it happening in 2020," he told Vanity Fair in 2018 about his rumored candidacy. "It’s a position that requires years of hard work and experience to learn the skills. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and due to my schedule, it’s not possible in 2020 ... I have so much respect for the position. It’s something that I seriously considered. What I need is time to go out and learn."
