LOS ANGELES — In a video that now has more than 14 million views on Instagram, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has one question for President Donald Trump: "Where are you?"
In the 8 1/2-minute video posted Wednesday amid historic protests over the killings of black people by police, The Rock repeatedly calls out the president, though he doesn't specifically say his name.
"Where is our leader at this time, at this time when our country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain, begging and pleading with its arms out, just wanting to be heard?" he says.
He continued: "You'd be surprised how people would respond, how Americans would respond if you say to them, 'I care about you. I am listening to you. This is our country. You are all my people. And I take full responsibility and full accountability for something that has been hundreds of years of systemic disease. Why am I taking full accountability? Because I am your leader. I'm your leader. And I'm going to do everything I can to make this right.'"
Trump has called protesters "lowlifes and losers" and is staking out what he calls a "law and order" approach to demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America.
Johnson said right now, Americans need to hear the president say that black lives matter.
"As Americans, we believe in inclusivity, we believe in acceptance. We believe in human rights. We believe in equality for all. That's what we believe in. So, of course, all lives matter," he said. "But in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees -- the floorboards of our country are becoming unhinged in this moment. We must say the words. Black lives matter."
No matter what, The Rock says "the process to change has already begun."
"You can feel it. Across our country, change is happening," he said. "It's going to take time. We're going to get beat up. We're going to take our lumps. There's going to be blood. But the process of change has already begun."