Donald Trump furiously denied claims by the director of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York that he bullied his way into the iconic Christmas film.
The former US president made a brief appearance in a scene filmed at the Plaza Hotel near Central Park which he owned at the time.
Filmmaker Chris Columbus said Trump insisted “the only way you can use” the building as a location is if he had a walk-on part in the 1992 movie.
But the politician claims it was studio chiefs “begging” him to appear, adding: “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.”
Mr Trump added: “If they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in, and keep me there, for over 30 years?
“Because I was, and still am, great for the movie, that's why!”
When eight-year-old suburban boy Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, visits the hotel and blags his way in by pretending his father is staying in the room with him, he encounters Mr Trump in the lobby and asks him for directions.
In a 2020 Business Insider interview, Columbus explained: “Like most locations in New York City, you just pay a fee and you are allowed to shoot in that location. We approached The Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, because we wanted to shoot in the lobby. We couldn’t rebuild The Plaza on a soundstage.
“Trump said OK. We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie.’”
Trump has made dozens of cameo appearances in television series and films including Sex and the City, Zoolander, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Two Weeks Notice.
