INTERSTELLAR star Matthew McConaughey is rumoured to be considering running for the US presidency.
It comes after , 56, released a six-minute video backing independent candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
The Oscar winner argued that voters needed alternatives to the Democrats and Republicans, especially as frustration with the two-party system grows.
He said: “I am not here today to endorse a candidate or a party.
“I am here endorsing two things: fairness and reality.
“Independent does not mean you’re middle of the road. Independent is the original road. Before there was ever a Republican or Democrat, there was an American.”
He added that a fair fight required representation beyond the same two parties competing repeatedly.
Polling figures added context to his argument.
A CNN poll released in June found that 47 per cent of voters identified with neither major party.
A Gallup poll cited in coverage of his remarks found that 45 per cent of Americans identified as independents, compared with 27 per cent each for Democrats and Republicans.
McConaughey, who lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and children, previously considered a run for Texas governor in 2021 but later decided he wasn’t ready.
Several political commentators interpreted the actor’s comments as him laying the groundwork to make a run as an independent candidate in 2028.
Adam Wren of Politico’s Playbook Podcast said: “The fact that he is talking about independent candidates leads a lot of people to think perhaps he wants to stage an independent run in 2028 and beyond.”
Link Lauren, a conservative political influencer, was critical of McConaughey’s intentions.
He said: “Now he seems to be laying a foundation to run as an independent in 2028, acting like he’s the first to do it.
“He will get eaten alive if he runs for president. He can’t take the heat.”
McConaughey flirted with the idea of a presidential run in 2022, saying if he ended up on the ballot it would be because the path “chose him”.
He continued: “We get pulled into things… It’s inevitable. I didn’t choose it, it chose me.”
McConaughey also claimed he was on a “learning tour” while visiting the National Governors Association summer meeting in July 2024.
