Mark Wahlberg: Celebrities should stay out of politics
Mark Wahlberg doesn’t understand why celebrities engage in politics.
“Look, I’ve never gone out and talked about politics. I’m an actor,” Wahlberg told Yahoo Finance at the Manhattan opening of Wahlburgers, his family’s burger chain. “Both Republicans and Democrats buy movie tickets.”
Wahlberg — who was previously known as the rapper Marky Mark, currently stars in “Transformers: Age of Extinction” and is AT&T’s newest spokesman — points out that people are still entitled to their opinions even if they don’t speak up on a topic. But he believes it’s neither in celebrities’ interest nor place to use their platforms to push their political agendas.
In his interview with Yahoo Finance, he alluded to the fact that Donald Trump was not his first choice for president, but said that’s neither here nor there.
“I had a strong opinion and I didn’t choose to voice it out in the public, but now that somebody is in office, let’s all just come together and rally around him and make sure he has the best chance to succeed,” Wahlberg said.
Above all else, Wahlberg said his love for this country outweighs any political disagreements that he may have with the president.
“For better or for worse, this is our country. At least for the next 3 ½ years, he’s going to be making a lot of decisions. So let’s go out there and try to make positive change.”
Would Wahlberg break bread with Trump?
“I’ve shared a golf course with him, so I’d certainly share a burger with him,” he said.
Wahlberg previously expressed his concern about celebrities getting embroiled in politics after Trump was elected president back in November.
“You know, it just goes to show you that people aren’t listening to that anyway. They might buy your CD or watch your movie, but you don’t put food on their table. You don’t pay their bills,” he said in late November during an interview with Task & Purpose, a news site for veterans run by veterans. “A lot of Hollywood is living in a bubble. They’re pretty out of touch with the common person, the everyday guy out there providing for their family.”
Melody Hahm is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.
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