Director Chris Columbus is once again expressing regret over one of the most controversial moments in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the cameo appearance of Donald Trump. In a new interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Columbus admitted he wishes he could remove Trump’s brief appearance from the 1992 holiday classic, calling it a burden he’s been forced to carry for decades.
“It’s become this curse,” Columbus said. “It’s become an albatross for me. I just wish it was gone.”
“If I Cut It, I’ll Probably Be Sent Out of the Country”
Columbus, who is of Italian descent, jokingly said that removing the scene now could spark serious backlash, even joking about deportation.
“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.”
Trump’s seven-second cameo occurs when Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister, asks for directions in the Plaza Hotel. Trump, who owned the hotel at the time, points and replies, “Down the hall and to the left.”
Trump “Bullied” His Way Into the Movie, Says Columbus
Columbus has previously stated that Trump essentially forced his way into the film in exchange for granting permission to shoot scenes at the Plaza Hotel. Speaking to Business Insider in 2020, Columbus revealed that Trump would only allow the production team to film if he appeared in the movie.
“He did bully his way into the movie,” Columbus said, adding that audiences initially cheered when Trump appeared during screenings, which influenced his decision to keep the scene in.
Trump Claps Back: “I Was Begged to Be in It”
In response to earlier criticisms, Trump pushed back in 2023, claiming that his appearance added value to the film and suggesting that Columbus and the studio were eager to include him.
“That cameo helped make the movie a success. But if they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in, and keep me there for over 30 years?” Trump said.
Columbus flatly denied Trump’s version of events, telling the Chronicle that there was no world in which he would “beg a non-actor to be in a movie.”
“But we were desperate to get the Plaza Hotel,” he admitted.
A Franchise Favorite With Lingering Regret
Home Alone 2, which was released in 1992, was a follow-up to the hit film Home Alone and chronicled young Kevin McCallister as he was separated from his family in New York when his family went to Florida on vacation. The movie again matches him against the Wet Bandits, who have been released from jail and are on the lookout for revenge.
While Home Alone 2 remains a fan-favorite holiday film, Columbus’s comments highlight how even a small cameo can carry long-lasting cultural weight.
“It’s been in the movie for over 30 years,” Columbus said, “but I wish it wasn’t.”
