Dwayne Johnson Third-Most Backed Person For US 2020 Presidential Election

He may not even be running in this year's US presidential election, but Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has been the third-most backed candidate since he delivered a rousing speech earlier this week.

The actor and former WWE star was added to the election market by UK bookmakers after he shared a powerful Black Lives Matter speech condemning Donald Trump on social media.

According to Oddschecker, the 48-year-old has received 3.34 percent of all bets since he was added to the market, putting him behind Trump, who has received 51 percent, and Biden, who has received 35 percent.

You probably shouldn't go fantasising about The People's Champion taking up residence in The White House though. Bookmakers have his odds at +40,000, which implies there's only a 0.2 percent chance of him winning. Indeed, he isn't actually running, so even those odds might be generous.

Still, Johnson has had to dispel rumours about a presidential run in the past, and the speech he shared following the death of George Floyd has only amplified calls for him to run. You might think it's ridiculous for a celebrity to run for the highest office in the land - but then you'll probably scratch that thought as you remember who the current President is.

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In the aforementioned speech, Johnson urged Americans to be the leaders they want to see, repeatedly asking the President, 'Where are you?'.

There have been protests across the US and the world since George Floyd died on 25 May. Harrowing footage showed the 46-year-old black man repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe as former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck.

Chauvin has now been charged with second-degree murder, but Trump's response to protests and riots has incited anger, with many criticising his heavy-handed approach and seeming lack of empathy.

In an eight-minute video, Johnson urged people to fight for equality in lieu of a 'compassionate leader'.

He said: "Where is our compassionate leader who's going to step up to our country who's down on its knees, and extend a hand and say, 'You stand up, stand up with me because I 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, until my dying day, my last breath, to do everything I can to create the change that is needed, to normalise equality because Black lives matter.' Where are you?

"Of course, all lives matter, but in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees, we must say the words: Black lives matter."

Topics: Celebrity, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, US News, Politics

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey