Seiuli Dwayne Johnson has slammed young people for “looking for a reason to be offended”.

The 46-year-old actor and professional wrestler has hit out at the younger generation, claiming they are ruining the hard work of people who “fought for freedom and equality”, by trying to find more reasons to be “offended”.

He said: “So many good people fought for freedom and equality - but this generation are looking for a reason to be offended. If you are not agreeing with them then they are offended - and that is not what so many great men and women fought for.”

The Rampage star says the world has come a long way in terms of equality and acceptance, but believes “generation snowflake” is doing more harm than good to the movement.

Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, Seiuli added: “We thankfully now live in a world that has progressed over the last 30 or 40 years. People can be who they want, be with who they want, and live how they want.

“That can only be a good thing – but generation snowflake or, whatever you want to call them, are actually putting us backwards.”

He has expressed an interest in politics in the past, and was the subject of rumours last year that he might be looking to run for president of the United States, after he was reported to have had “under-the-radar” meetings with experts from across the political spectrum.

The Baywatch star then said that whilst he was “flattered” by the rumours, he was on a mission to gain more “information” about politics before he made any kind of formal commitment.

He said: “This is where you get me in trouble. [The meetings are] just really to understand more and to learn more ... The idea of running for president has been very flattering that a good amount of people have been wanting me to run and, honestly, it’s so flattering, but I feel like the most respectful thing I could do is just learn as much as I could possibly do.

“Like, to become president, that is a skill set that I feel like you have to know. You have to put in the time - like years and years of service, so anyway, that’s where I’m at. I just want to learn as much as I possibly can.”