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President-elect Donald Trump greets actor Sylvester Stallone onstage at the America First Policy Institute Gala at Mar-a-Lago on November 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone shocked the political world Thursday night with a surprise appearance at Mar-a-Lago, delivering a heartfelt introduction for President-elect Donald Trump at the America First Policy Institute’s black-tie gala.

Known for his iconic roles as Rocky Balboa and Rambo, Stallone expressed not only his admiration for Donald Trump but also hailed him as the “second George Washington.”

For years, Stallone has carefully avoided aligning himself publicly with any political movement. That changed Thursday night when he introduced Trump at the gala celebrating the former president’s decisive electoral comeback.

The crowd was filled with Trump loyalists and several of his high-profile cabinet picks—such as RFK Jr., Elon Musk, and Matt Gaetz, and more.

“I’m very proud to be here,” Stallone began. “I didn’t expect this, but I’ll just keep it short and sweet because there’s no such thing as a speech too short.”

The actor recounted a scene from the original Rocky film to draw parallels between his character’s underdog story and Trump’s political journey.

“When I did Rocky, if you remember, the first image was a picture of Jesus. It says “Resurrection AC Club.” I found a church that had been converted into a boxing ring. The image pans down from Jesus onto Rocky being hit.”

“At that moment, he was a chosen person, and that’s how I began the journey. Something was going to happen. This man was going to go through a metamorphosis and change lives—just like President Trump,” he said.

Stallone went on to liken Trump to one of America’s most revered Founding Fathers.

“We are in the presence of a really mythical character. I love mythology, and this individual does not exist on this planet. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe.”

“And I’ll just say this—and I mean it—when George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world. Because without him, you can imagine what the world would look like,” Stallone said, concluding, “Guess what? We got the second George Washington. Congratulations.”

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In recent years, Stallone’s values have appeared to align closely with conservative principles.

Earlier this year, Sylvester Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, announced they were leaving their long-time home in California for a fresh start in the Sunshine State, permanently.

During the Season 2 premiere of their Paramount+ reality series, The Family Stallone, the actor shared the exciting news with their three daughters.

“After long, hard consideration… I have decided it’s time to move on and leave the state of California permanently, and we’re going to go to Florida.”

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In August, Sylvester Stallone joined forces with Vivek Ramaswamy and Tony Robbins to support City of Dreams, a film raising awareness about child trafficking.

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