The Daily Mail has learned that President-elect Donald Trump is set to select actor Sylvester Stallone for Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The NEA was formed in 1965, as an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and supports everything from museums and opera to folk music, dance and design. Its current head, the artist and philanthropist Jane Chu, heads a 14-member board with an annual budget of approximately $146,200,000. Stallone, age 70 is best known for his roles as John Rambo and Rocky Balboa. His last major contribution to the arts was the 2015 Rocky spin-off, Creed that grossed $174 million at the box office.
The actor backed John McCain’s presidential run in 2008, but he is not a registered Republican. He did, however, describe Trump as “bigger than life” in a recent interview, but stopped short of endorsing his presidency. “I love Donald Trump,” he told Variety Magazine. “He’s a great Dickensian character. You know what I mean? There are certain people like Arnold [Schwarzenegger] and Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.” Stallone and Trump have a friendship that goes back more than 30 years.
Stallone also hinted at a career in politics in the same interview, saying he was interested in following in the footsteps of Hollywood star-turned politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I said to my wife, ‘What do you think?’ Stallone recalled. “She said, ‘Are you crazy?'"
While Trump has not formally offered Stallone the job, the iconic actor is reportedly “positively disposed to the idea,” according to the Daily Mail.
It has been widely assumed that a Trump presidency would be hostile to the arts. But Mr. Trump feels this sort of A-list appointment is precisely what the industry needs. The president-elect sees Hollywood icon Stallone as the perfect choice to make art great again.
If Stallone is formally offered the job, his appointment will have to be approved by Congress.
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