Dwayne Johnson asks 'where is our leader?' as he criticises Donald Trump's response to George Floyd protests

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has taken aim at Donald Trump’s handling of the mass protests that have shaken the US.

The Hollywood actor – who has previously mulled over a run for the White House – voiced his support for the Black Lives Matter movement amid heightened racial tensions following the death of George Floyd.

Johnson posted a video to Instagram in which he directly addressed the camera while repeating the phrase “where are you?”.

While he never mentioned Trump by name, he said the US is lacking a unifying leader who “steps up and takes full accountability” and “picks our country up off its knees.”

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Our country is crippled and on its knees, begging to be heard and pleading for change. Where is our compassionate leader? The leader who unifies and inspires our country at our most painful time when we need it the most. The leader who steps up and takes full accountability for our country and embraces every color in it. The leader who picks our country up off its knees and says you have my word - we got this - and together, change will happen. Where are you? Because we’re all here. Maybe one day that galvanizing leader will emerge. Either way, the process to change has already begun. #normalizeequality #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jun 3, 2020 at 7:33pm PDT

The president has attracted criticism for his handling of the crisis and threatened to deploy the military in a bid to quell the protests, which have since spread beyond the US to countries including the UK.

In his video, former professional wrestler Johnson said: “Like the majority of Americans, I’m not a politician and I’ve never been elected to office and I am not the president of the United States.

“But I am a man, and I am a father who cares so deeply about my family, about my children and the world they will live in. I care so deeply about our country and every single person in it.

“That’s who I am. I am a man who is frustrated, I’m disappointed, I’m angry but I’m also doing my best to stay focused and as calm as I can possibly be in the pocket, to make the best decisions for my family and make the best decisions for our country.”

Johnson, one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws, added: “So as we continue to wait for that leader to emerge, I recommend to all of you that we must become the leaders we’re looking for.”

Johnson said “change is happening,” adding: “Stay strong. We got this.”

Mr Floyd, who was black, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer was filmed with his knee on his neck for several minutes.

Former officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder while three other officers at the scene have also been charged in relation to the death.

With reporting by Press Association