Rocky goes to Washington! Trump taps Sylvester Stallone for top 'arts' role

By Ben Ashford

Donald Trump has drawn ‘first blood’ in the search for his incoming administration's senior arts role - by tapping up Rambo legend Sylvester Stallone. 

Sources have told DailyMail.com the president-elect sees Hollywood icon Stallone as the perfect choice to make art great again. 

The likely position would be Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency that doles out funds to aspiring artists and creative projects. 

If Stallone is formally offered that job, his appointment will have to be approved by Congress.

While Stallone is positively disposed to the idea, It is not known whether Stallone will accept the gig. He has spoken previously of his admiration for Trump - and of his interest in entering politics. 

'It's been widely and wrongly assumed that a Trump Presidency will be hostile to the arts,' a source told DailyMail.com. 'But Mr Trump feels this sort of A-list appointment is precisely the shot in the arm that the industry needs.' 

Stallone, 70 - best known for his roles as John Rambo and Rocky Balboa - backed John McCain’s presidential run in 2008 but he is not a registered Republican.

However the movie action man described Trump as 'bigger than life' in a recent interview, though he stopped short of endorsing his Presidency. 'I love Donald Trump,' he told Variety Magazine. 'He’s a great Dickensian character. You know what I mean? 'There are certain people like Arnold, Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.'

Stallone was nominated for an Oscar for reprising his role as Rocky in Creed last year.

Stallone also hinted at a career in politics in the same interview, saying he was interested in following in the footsteps of Hollywood star-turned pol Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

'I said to my wife, "What do you think?" Stallone recalled. 'She said, "Are you crazy?'"

Formed in 1965, The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and supports everything from museums and opera to folk music, dance and design. Its current head, the artist and philanthropist Jane Chu, heads a 14-strong board who can draw upon an annual budget of around $146,200,000. 

Folks at the NEA was none too happy about getting booted out of the Old Post Office Building to make way for the Trump Hotel. 

Stallone's last major contribution to the arts was the 2015 Rocky spin-off Creed which grossed $174 million at the box office. 

The musclebound actor was also forced to deny reports of his own death in September when a hoax began circulating wildly on social media. Stallone proved he wasn't down for the count by going online to share a picture of himself with boxer pal Sergey Kovalev.