Dwayne Johnson Tops 200 Million Instagram Followers After Endorsing Joe Biden: 'Speak Your Truth'
Dwayne Johnson is celebrating an uptick in his social media following after publicly endorsing a presidential candidate for the first time.
After announcing late last month that he'd be voting for former Vice President Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election, the Jumanji actor, 48, has now seen a growth in his follower count on Instagram, now surpassing 200 million in total.
To celebrate the milestone, Johnson posted a four-minute clip to his Instagram page on Thursday, in which he imparted a "life lesson" he has learned since speaking out about politics: "Always speak your truth."
"Here’s what I’ve learned these past few weeks and maybe, you can find value in this take away and apply it to your own life," he captioned the post. "Always speak your truth. And when you do speak your truth - do your best to speak with dignity, compassion, respect, poise and empathy."
"Even when the conversations get uncomfortable - when you approach with respect and care - on the other side of discomfort - is clarity and progress," added Johnson.
The movie star went on to thank his fans for "giving me the space to speak my truth," and that "I always got your back." Johnson concluded: "You have my word, I’ll always do my best to speak my truth with dignity, respect, empathy and GRATITUDE. That’s my lesson I’ve learned."
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On Sept. 27, Johnson announced his choice for president and vice president in a video shared on his YouTube channel, in which he hosts a virtual conversation with Biden, 77, and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.
"I have been a lucky guy over the years, in my life and my career to have been part of and participated in some real defining moments, and I've never publicly endorsed a presidential candidate or vice presidential candidate in my life, over my career," Johnson said at the time.
"That means a great deal to us, for real," Biden said, thanking Johnson for his support.
"You guys are both obviously experienced to lead. You've done great things. Joe, you've had such an incredible career. You've led, in my opinion, with great compassion and heart and drive, but also soul. You and I talked about that in the past and how important soul is," said Johnson.
Also during the video chat, Johnson called Harris, 55, "smart and tough" as he praised her career as an attorney and senator. "I've seen you in those hearings, and in my opinion you are a certified badass," he said.
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The father of three posed a question to the candidates: "How will the both of you earn the respect of all the American people once you're in the White House?" Biden noted how he and Harris have to be honest with the public.
"By doing what we say we're going to do. By keeping our word. By leveling with the American people. By taking responsibility. When we fail, acknowledge it. We're not going to be perfect, but take responsibility. Say, 'This is what I'm going to do, this is what I believe and tell the truth.' That sounds so basic, but the American people are strong, they're tough, they can take anything if you level with them and tell the truth," he said.
"And one of the ways we're going to do it is to demonstrate we mean what we say. Our administration, DJ, is going to look like America. It's going to be representative of all of America."
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