Kevin Spacey teases presidential run

Actor Kevin Spacey resumed his post-cancelation Christmas tradition of appearing in character as corrupt politician Frank Underwood from the hit Netflix show House of Cards, announcing on Sunday that he might run for president in real life. He made the statement during a surprise appearance on conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s talk show on X (formerly Twitter). 

Spacey, speaking in Underwood’s trademark southern drawl, said that a run for the White House was “a sacrifice I’m willing to make for this great nation,” suggesting it was time to “get some adults back in the room.” 

‘Underwood’, who eventually becomes president in House of Cards through underhanded means, told Carlson it was time for “our country to stop apologizing and stiffen up.” He added, “let’s stop blaming bots and college kids” for “spewing ridiculous ideas” and “start telling leaders what leadership really is.”

The star was careful to avoid taking any political positions beyond leveling a few barbs at his former employer, offering up only what he called a “long and very solid relationship with the public” as his main qualification for the presidency – “a bond that has never been broken.”

“We need someone in the White House who’s not afraid, like me, not afraid to push our country – or a journalist – in the right direction, if it comes to that,” Spacey stated.

Pressed on “what role” he saw himself playing in the political process or elsewhere, Spacey refused to commit to actually entering the already-packed 2024 race, instead turning the question back on Carlson. The conservative pundit should consider serving as Spacey’s vice president, he hinted.

Spacey’s career was nearly destroyed after multiple men accused him of sexual assault. He was ultimately cleared of all nine charges pending against him in the UK in July. 

Last year, a US judge dismissed the initial 2017 case, which saw actor Anthony Rapp accuse Spacey of drunkenly groping him at a party decades earlier, when Rapp was 14. The star has denied all claims against him.

Netflix killed off Underwood in the middle of House of Cards’ sixth season before a single court date in the case, opting not to wait for due process in what the actor and critics condemned as a “rush to judgment.” The company also shelved a planned biopic on writer Gore Vidal starring Spacey, even though the film was fully shot and in post-production when the controversy erupted.