Home Alone and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, became Christmas classics since their release by director Chris Colombus. However, the second one has picked up some conflict as of late. 

The second film, 1992’s Lost In New York, saw Kevin McCallister get split up from his family on their way to Florida for the holidays, only for him to wind up in New York City. Kevin, played by the then eleven-year-old Macaulay Culkin, finds himself living the good life in New York, staying at the renowned Plaza Hotel before being chased down again by the Wet Bandits. 

During the filming of the sequel, the hotel was owned by Donald Trump, who was given a cameo in the film for filming at the hotel. But recently, director Columbus has alleged that Trump “bullied” his way into the picture in a quid pro quo. 

“Like most locations in New York City, you just pay a fee, and you are allowed to shoot in that location,” Columbus said during a Business Insider interview. “We approached The Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time because we wanted to shoot in the lobby. We couldn’t rebuild The Plaza on a soundstage.” 

“Trump said OK. We paid the fee, but he also said, ‘The only way you can use the Plaza is if I’m in the movie,’” Columbus continued. “So we agreed to put him in the movie, and when we screened it for the first time, the oddest thing happened: People cheered when Trump showed up on-screen. So I said to my editor, ‘Leave him in the movie. It’s a moment for the audience.’ But he did bully his way into the movie.”

However, former president Trump responded to this on Wednesday, alleging it wasn’t quite how it unfolded. 

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said on social media, according to Deadline. “That cameo helped make the movie a success. But if they felt bullied, or didn’t want me, why did they put me in, and keep me there for over 30 years?”

Trump also went on to say that he was “very busy” at the time of the shooting and “didn’t want to do it,” but due to the “persistent” crew, he agreed. 

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