Actor and author Matthew McConaughey teased a possible political run during the National Governor's Association summer meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, where he weighed in broadly on the 2024 presidential race.
Participating in a discussion on the role of culture in polarization, McConaughey joked with governors about indulging in the Hollywood heavyweight's tequila brand the night before, while also taking a more serious tone regarding the "entertainment" factor in American politics. He argued that the "extremes seem to be going further left and further right" and "decency doesn’t seem to be on the table."
"I understand it’s hard to market and sell success in how people negotiate, because it’s not as fun, it’s not as sexy, it’s not as exciting as the car wreck. We’re a nation of rubberneckers," McConaughey said. "I think right now we’re all caught up in short-term, short-money wins. And so we come to the table, we argue, we call each other names, and America sees a lot of us when we do that -- This is entertainment. I’m in the entertainment business. Our leadership and our leaders don’t need to be in the entertainment business."
"The extremes on the right and left, they have the microphone. It’s more entertaining," he added.
McConaughey took the stage with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican and outgoing NGA chair, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and the newly elected chair of the association for 2024-2025.
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, joked that he was "told" that he and his wife enjoyed McConaughey's tequila the night before, though "I can't recall any of it," garnering laughter from attendees before asking the actor whether elected office, which he considered before, was still on his "dance card."
"Yes. I have thought about running for office, getting into this category," McConaughey said. "I'm on a learning tour and have been for probably the last six years of understanding what this category means."
"Do I have instincts, intellect that it would be a good fit for me and I would be a good fit for it. That would be useful. I'm still on that learning tour, and, you know, days like this. I'm learning a lot. Last night, I learned a lot. I learned a lot from you last night. Through those tequila, through that tequila, sir," he told Murphy.
McConaughey, a Texas native, years ago mulled a run for governor of the Lone Star State, and was rumored to have also considered a potential presidential bid.
To Murphy's second question about who his favorite director was, McConaughey answered Richard Linklater, who gave him his break-out role in the 1993 coming of age film Dazed and Confused.
"Alright, alright, alright," McConaughey said, citing his famous line, evoking cheers from the crowd.
"The first three words I ever said on film. People go all the time, doesn't it upset you? Aren't you tired of being introduced with that? And I said, no. I know the author," McConaughey added.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green encouraged McConaughey to run for office – and to not cede to pressure on choosing a certain party affiliation, whether it be Republican or Democrat.
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"Please don't fall into the trap to think that you have to be just one thing, because I think you're so, you know, warm and likable. A lot of Republicans who want you to be Republican, a lot of Democrats who want you to be a Democrat, just be you, because that might be something special for all of us," Green said.
McConaughey argued that politicians, driven in part by attention on social media, are not engaging in "real competition" through thoughtful debate anymore, making the case that American leaders need to become "better marketers" and salespeople in demonstrating the return on investment into "hope and belief."
"If I invalidate your position off the bat, that's a lack of courage on my part. Right out of the gate, that's not real confrontation," he said, acknowledging that some of that comes with "party preservation."
"I want to hear more vision from our leaders rather than just, ‘I want to do the opposite of what they want to do.’ Well, no," McConaughey added. "How do you see the way forward? Instead of just saying, 'no, all I know is I don't want to do it that way or that's the wrong way.' We see it right now – It's with two presidential candidates. Fear. Let's admit fear's easier to sell than hope. It's more measurable."
The actor admitted, though, that "good negotiation" is harder to sell.
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"The train wreck is front page bold print," he said. "How can you sell belief, which I think is what we really need more of in our country right now is belief, whether it's literal belief in the prime mover or God, or whether it's belief more in ourselves and our neighbors in what America can be, we need more belief."
"I mean, you've hit on so many important themes," Cox responded. "I'm just trying to imagine a presidential candidate like this, talking about belief in something bigger than ourselves, in each other, in our neighbors, laying out a positive vision for the country… We just don't see that anymore because fear does sell."
