When Home Alone 2: Lost in New York hit theatres in November 1992, audiences watched Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister navigate New York City after accidentally ending up there alone. Among the film’s many memorable moments was a brief appearance by businessman Donald Trump at the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time.The cameo lasts only a few seconds. Kevin encounters Trump inside the hotel and asks him for directions to the lobby. Trump points him down the hallway and to the left before Kevin continues on his way. Despite its brevity, the scene has remained one of the most recognisable celebrity cameos in the Home Alone franchise.
Why was Donald Trump in ‘Home Alone 2’?
The circumstances surrounding the cameo have been disputed by Trump and the film’s director Chris Columbus. What is established is that the production filmed at the Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time. The American Film Institute’s records also acknowledge the Plaza Hotel among the film’s special thanks.Columbus later said that getting permission to shoot inside the Plaza came with a condition that Trump appear in the film. In a 2020 interview, the director said Trump had effectively insisted that the hotel could only be used if he appeared in the movie. Columbus also recalled that the production initially considered removing the scene.However, when the filmmakers screened the movie for an audience, Columbus said viewers reacted enthusiastically when Trump appeared on screen. He therefore decided to keep the cameo.Trump has given a different account. In 2023, he denied that he had forced his way into the movie, saying that the filmmakers had repeatedly asked him to appear and that he initially did not want to do it. According to Trump’s account, he eventually agreed after the production team remained persistent.
The seven-second scene
Trump’s role was extremely small. In the scene, Kevin is inside the Plaza Hotel and approaches Trump for help finding the lobby. Trump responds with directions, and the young protagonist walks away.The brief appearance has subsequently been described as roughly seven seconds long. It did not affect the film’s main storyline, but its connection to one of New York’s most famous hotels and Trump’s later prominence ensured that the moment remained widely discussed.
‘Home Alone 2’ became a major box-office success
The sequel was released on November 20, 1992, with Chris Columbus directing and John Hughes writing and producing. It reunited Macaulay Culkin with Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara and other members of the original cast.The film became one of the biggest releases of 1992. It eventually earned more than $359 million worldwide and became a recurring Christmas favourite, helping turn the short Trump appearance into a scene that audiences continued to encounter during holiday re-runs.
The cameo returned to the spotlight years later
Trump’s appearance gained renewed attention in 2019 when Canada’s CBC aired an edited version of Home Alone 2 without the scene. The broadcaster explained that the movie had been edited in 2014, along with other portions, to make room for commercials and that Trump’s cameo was removed because it was not essential to the plot.The explanation became particularly notable because Trump was president by 2019, and the removal prompted criticism from some of his supporters. Trump himself commented publicly on the missing scene at the time. The edit, however, had been made before he became president.
Chris Columbus later said he wished the cameo was gone
More than three decades after the film’s release, Columbus revisited the cameo in a 2025 interview. The director said he regretted including it and described the appearance as something he wished had not been in the movie. He also reiterated his account that Trump had made appearing in the film a condition for the production to use the Plaza.Trump has continued to dispute Columbus’ version of events, maintaining that the filmmakers wanted him in the movie and that his appearance helped its success.
