WATCH: Sylvester Stallone Calls Trump ‘Second George Washington’ In Surprise Introduction

Call it a case of one folk hero recognizing another.

Sylvester Stallone, the iconic Hollywood frontman best known for his portrayal of an underdog boxer in the “Rocky” franchise, made the most of an opportunity to introduce President-elect Donald Trump during a recent event at Mar-a-Lago. In his glowing remarks, Stallone equated the former president’s come-from-behind victory to being in the presence of a “mythical character” like founding father and first president George Washington.

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“When I did ‘Rocky,’ if you remember the first image, was a picture of Jesus and it said ‘Resurrection A.C. Club’… The camera pans down to Rocky being hit, and from that moment he was the chosen person, and that’s how I began the journey. Something was gonna happen. This man was gonna go through a metamorphosis and change lives,” Stallone recounted. “Just like President Trump.”

Stallone, 78, was invited on Thursday to close out the America First Policy Institute Gala, a conservative think tank founded by Trump advisor Stephen Miller. His swaggering image of a bravado strongman — and conservative — defying the odds in Hollywood perfectly encapsulated the audience’s feelings about Trump. Unlike his character, Stallone explained, Trump’s transformation is very much real. “We are in the presence of a really mythical character. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe,” he said.

“This individual does not exist on this planet. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off,” Stallone continued. “When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world. ’cause without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We got the second George Washington.”

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In 2016, Stallone spoke with Variety, admitting his fondness for the future president, though he said he didn’t vote in either the 2016 or 2020 elections. “I love Donald Trump,” he said at the time, Fox News reported. “There are certain people like Arnold [Schwarzenegger] and Babe Ruth who are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.”

Although the actor did not endorse Trump this year, he encouraged Pennsylvania voters to “keep punching” during an on-air call with Fox News’ Bret Baier. Stallone’s appearance at Mar-a-Lago is the first time he has spoken so publicly and forcefully about his affinity for the Republican, putting him in the company of other notable celebrities who can’t deny that Trump has a gravitational pull about him. Zachary Levi, the “Marvel” actor and fan of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., stumped for President Trump during the final weeks of the campaign. Jon Voight, who has spent more than five decades in front of the cameras, publicly called for Americans to rally behind the Republican, citing his staunch support of Israel.

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