Josh Brolin believes President Donald Trump’s ability to sell himself has served him well as a politician.

In an interview published on Saturday, the actor told The Independent that while he doesn’t give much credit to his old friend, Trump is still a “genius” when it comes to marketing.

Reflecting on whether the Republican really plans to seek a constitutionally questionable third term in 2028, Brolin said, “I’m not afraid of Trump, because even though he says he’s going to stay forever, it’s just not going to happen. And if it does, then I’ll deal with that moment.”

“But having been friends with Trump before he was president, I know a different guy,” he added.

Josh Brolin, here at the November 17 premiere of
Josh Brolin, here at the Nov. 17 premiere of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” discussed President Donald Trump’s knack for self-promotion in a new interview.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images

The “Dune” actor also said he understands why people gravitate toward Trump, adding, “There is no greater marketing genius than him.”

“He takes the weakness of the general population and fills it,” Brolin continued. “And that’s why I think a lot of people feel like they have a pet in them.”

“I think it’s much less about Trump than it is about the general population and their need for validation.”

President Trump, here at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Thanksgiving, befriended Brolin during the making of Oliver Stone.
President Trump, here at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Thanksgiving, befriended Brolin during the making of Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.”

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Brolin became friends with Trump while working on Oliver Stone’s 2010 film, “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.”

The star previously addressed his political differences with his former friend in an October 2020 Instagram post in which he called himself a “very conservative Democrat” who was not a “hardliner” for then-candidate Joe Biden.

Despite that, Brolin told his followers that he longed for an America made up of a “potpourri of people from all over the world” and wanted “a president who embraces all of us, not just those who like him.”