The famous actor and director Sylvester Stallone introduced the president-elect Donald Trump at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) gala on Thursday with a short speech in which he called Trump “a second George Washington,” according to Fox News.

Stallone was the last speaker of the night — speaking for only about two minutes — before the president-elect took the stage.

Kicking off his speech, Stallone began talking about his character ‘Rocky’ (from the boxing film series he starred in) and how he was going through a transformation, changing lives, “just like the president Trump”.

“We are in front of a truly legendary character. No one in the world could do what he did, that’s why I’m in awe”he said.

Stallone continued his speech by comparing Trump to George Washington and how his devotion to America changed the world.

“When George Washington was defending his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world, because without him, you can imagine what the world would be like. And you know something? We have the second George Washington. Congratulations!”, Stallone said before playing Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

After a brief pause, Trump took the stage after Stallone’s introduction and shook his hand while saying a few words to the actor.

While Stallone has remained fairly tight-lipped about his personal political views over the years and admitted that he did not vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections, he told Variety magazine in 2016 that he liked Trump.

“I love Donald Trump”he had said then. “There are certain people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Babe Ruth, who are larger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to ruling the world.”

Stallone did not publicly endorse Trump during the 2024 campaign, but he answered a Fox News call in October and encouraged Pennsylvania voters to “keep fighting.”

His speech at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday marked the first time he has publicly shared his thoughts on the Trump presidency.