Josh Brolin Shares His Thoughts on His Friendship with Donald Trump: A Different Perspective

Josh Brolin; Donald Trump.
Credit :

Maya Dehlin Spach/WireImage; SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Highlights

• Josh Brolin discussed his past friendship with Donald Trump in a recent interview.
• Brolin, 57, met Trump following the filming of 2010’s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.
• The actor expressed his thoughts on the former president’s influence and power dynamics today.

In a recent interview with The Independent, actor Josh Brolin reflected on his previous friendship with former President Donald Trump. The discussion came amid speculation about Trump’s potential bid for a third presidential term, following Brolin’s commencement in his role in the upcoming film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

“I’m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he’s staying forever, it’s just not going to happen,” Brolin asserted. “And if it does, then I’ll deal with that moment. But having been a friend of Trump before he was president, I know a different guy,” he added.

Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Nov 25, 2025.

Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty

Trump, 79, has hinted at a desire to run for a third term, despite the constitutional limitation imposed by the 22nd Amendment. Brolin, who first connected with Trump during the film’s production, acknowledged Trump’s notable reputation as a real estate mogul at the time.

Reflecting on Trump’s business practices, Brolin stated, “I’m sure there was a lot of corruption involved.” He found it particularly intriguing that Trump chose to construct a lavish hotel in New York City during what he described as a “cesspool city in the late ’70s.” He emphasized that today, “it’s power unmitigated, it’s unregulated.”

Josh Brolin at the L.A. premiere of ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ on Nov. 17, 2025.

Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty

Brolin also commended Trump’s marketing acumen, stating, “There is no greater genius than him in marketing. He takes the weakness of the general population and fills it. And that’s why I think a lot of people feel that they have a mascot in him. I think it’s much less about Trump than it is about the general population and their need for validation.”

While discussing his character in the upcoming film, Monsignor Wicks, a power-hungry religious figure, Brolin acknowledged the speculation that he may have drawn inspiration from Trump, stating, “I could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed,” but clarified that this was not the case.