Josh Brolin talks about old friendship with Donald Trump, calls him marketing genius: 'I'm not scared of him'

Actor Josh Brolin walked down memory lane as he opened up about his old friend, U.S. President Donald Trump. The Wake Up Dead Man was friends with Trump for years before the real estate mogul entered the White House.

Josh Brolin on Donald Trump

Talking about Trump, Brolin told The Independent, "I'm not scared of Trump, because even though he says he's staying forever, it's just not going to happen."

"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."

Josh Brolin and Donald Trump's friendship

Josh Brolin and Trump's friendship dates back to 2010. They met when Brolin was starring in the Oliver Stone film, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Set in New York, the film had a scene starring Donald Trump. However, it never made it to the final cut.

In the same interview, Brolin also praised Trump and called him a marketing genius.

He said, "There is no greater genius than [Trump] 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.”

How did Josh Brolin and Trump meet in NY

Previously, the Avengers actor had revealed how he and Donald Trump became friends.

Brolin shared on In Depth With Graham Bensinger that he and Trump became friends after a dinner with Shia LaBeouf and Melania Trump in New York in 2010.

Back in May 2012, Donald Trump had mentioned Brolin as "a friend of mine" in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He had also praised the actor for his "terrific" performance in the film, Men in Black 3.

However, in 2024, Brolin told Bensinger that he and Donald Trump were no longer friends. Appearing on The Late Show in 2018, the actor shared that he "used to take pride" in knowing Trump. A couple of years later, he wrote on Instagram, "I refuse to believe that Donald Trump is our core version of American masculinity." He also added that Trump has “lied over 50,000 documented times.”

Wake Up Dead Man

Meanwhile, Josh Brolin was last seen in Wake Up Dead Man. In the third installment of the Knives Out series, he stars as the priest of a church. The film will mark its debut on Netflix this December.