Actor Vince Vaughn became the latest celebrity to visit President Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, when the president’s social media team came up with a viral post referencing one of the Hollywood A-lister’s most popular films.
Vaughn, 55, was an unexpected guest at the White House, at least for the public, as his visit was not listed on the president’s official itinerary. It is unclear what the two discussed on Friday, as the White House has yet to provide any real details of the meeting.
A post from the meeting went viral on social media, however, as the official White House X page posted a mock movie poster of Vaughn and Trump at the Resolute Desk with the title “White House Crashers,” a nod to Vaughn’s 2005 comedy hit “Wedding Crashers,” in which he starred alongside Owen Wilson.
Vaughn has enjoyed an amicable relationship with the president in the past. The two were spotted together at the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship game in New Orleans, though Vaughn attempted to downplay the meeting as a chance encounter.
“In my career I’ve met a lot of politicians who I’ve always been cordial to,” he told the Los Angeles Times in an interview later that year. “I don’t have a party that I support and endorse. In fact, for me sometimes it’s difficult to find a candidate that you feel is philosophically consistent and not just going along with whoever is funding their particular party.”
The “Hacksaw Ridge” star has at times described himself as a libertarian, stating that he does not feel beholden to either political party. “I’d rather say let people make their choices, and they can make different choices and have the consequences of their choices,” he said of his political views in an interview with the New York Times last year.
Friday’s meeting comes as the president has stated that revitalizing the American film industry will be an area of focus in his second term. Just before taking office in January, Trump appointed legendary actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as Special Ambassadors for Hollywood.
When announcing the appointments on Truth Social, Trump declared the three would act as his “eyes and ears” in the entertainment capital, tasked with reviving an industry he claims has been bleeding business to foreign markets.
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump posted back in January. “They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”