Sylvester Stallone has turned down a top arts role offered by President-elect Donald Trump.
It was recently reported that the Rocky actor and Republican supporter Stallone would be appointed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) , a federal agency responsible for granting funds to artists and creative projects.
But the star said in a statement that he would rather help military veterans.
“I am incredibly flattered to have been suggested to be involved with the National Endowment of the Arts,” Stallone said.
“However I believe I could be more effective by bringing national attention to returning military personnel in an effort to find gainful employment, suitable housing and financial assistance these heroes respectfully deserve.”
The 70-year-old actor did not elaborate how he would be involved trying to help the veterans, reports Sky News .
Earlier this year, Stallone hailed Trump who was then a front runner for the Republican nomination.
“I love Donald Trump. He’s a great Dickensian character. You know what I mean? There are certain people like Arnold (Schwarzenegger), Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life,” he admitted.
“But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.”
The President-elect recently met with Kanye West at Trump Tower in New York, where they shared a hug and
Trump signed a copy of his Time magazine cover for West . West avoided questions about whether he will perform at Trump’s forthcoming inauguration though.
Kanye’s meeting with Trump attracted a heated reaction from fans, while
John Legend described himself as “disappointed” in the rapper . West later attempted to explain his actions on Twitter.
RZA defended West’s meeting with Trump . “Trump is the President, so we’re going to have to talk to him, deal with him,” he said. “If Kanye went in to speak for our community then Bong.