The first two Home Alone films have become beloved Christmas staples for generations of viewers, but for director Chris Columbus, the memories are a bit more complicated.
Columbus, who directed Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, recently referred to Donald Trump’s brief cameo in the second film as a “curse” and admitted he wishes he could remove it—more than three decades after the movie’s release.
However, the 66-year-old filmmaker says he fears potential backlash if he were to edit out the former president’s seven-second appearance.
“I can’t cut it,” Columbus told the San Francisco Chronicle. “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.”
Columbus’s comments appear to reference controversial immigration policies during Trump’s presidency, including mass deportations of Venezuelan migrants labeled as criminals.
His discomfort with the scene isn’t new. In a 2020 interview with Business Insider, Columbus revealed how Trump ended up in the movie in the first place—and it wasn’t exactly voluntary.
“Like most locations in New York City, you just pay a fee and you’re allowed to shoot there,” Columbus said. “We approached The Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time, because we wanted to shoot in the lobby. We couldn’t rebuild The Plaza on a soundstage.”
According to Columbus, Trump agreed—but with one condition: “He said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie.’”
Trump’s assertive demand left a bad taste in Columbus’s mouth, and though the cameo is often noted by viewers, the director has long expressed regret over the inclusion.
Chris Columbus has previously spoken about wishing he could cut President Donald Trump from his movie (Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
“We agreed to include him in the movie, and during our first screening, something unexpected happened — the audience actually cheered when Trump appeared on screen,” the director recalled. “So I turned to my editor and said, ‘Leave him in. It’s a moment for the audience.’ That said, he did essentially bully his way into the film.”
In response, Trump fired back on Truth Social in 2023, accusing the Harry Potter director of using his name for attention.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Trump wrote. “That cameo helped make the movie a success. If they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in — and keep me in — for over 30 years? Because I was, and still am, great for the movie, that’s why!
“Just another Hollywood guy from the past looking for a quick fix of Trump publicity for himself!”
Trump’s scene was actually cut from a televised version of the film aired in Canada in 2019. CBC explained at the time that the scene had been removed simply because it was “not integral to the plot.”
