Home Alone 2: Lost in New York director Chris Columbus says he wishes he could cut President Donald Trump's cameo from the film, though he acknowledges that to do so could force him out of the country.
In a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, director Chris Columbus admitted that Trump’s cameo in Home Alone 2 has turned into something of a “curse"—one he now regrets. Columbus revealed he had considered cutting the scene entirely but ultimately left it in after test audiences responded well to the brief appearance.
He recalled:
"We screened the film in Chicago, and when that moment came onscreen, the audience went crazy. They cheered and they cheered and they thought it was hilarious."
"I think I know a lot about comedy, but I don’t, obviously, because I never thought that was going to be considered hilarious.”
Columbus previously told Business Insider in 2020 that Trump only allowed filming at the Plaza Hotel if he was given a cameo—“The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie,” he recalled Trump saying. Trump later denied that version of events on Truth Social in 2023, claiming Columbus was “begging” for him to appear.
Now, more than 30 years after the film’s release, Columbus says the moment has “become an albatross,” but admits they were “desperate” to shoot at the Plaza at the time:
“It’s become this thing that I wish it was not there. What’s going through this guy’s mind? He said I was lying. I’m not lying. He said I begged him to be in the movie, but there’s no world I would ever beg a non-actor to be in a movie.”
But he can't and won't cut the film—because the political consequences could be dire:
“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.”
While people don't necessarily support cutting or censoring the film, they nonetheless had snarky thoughts.
Trump has indeed disputed Columbus' version of events, saying several years ago that "that little cameo took off like a rocket, and the movie was a big success, and still is, especially around Christmas time." He said he still receives calls about it.
He has not responded to Columbus' latest remarks.
