Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan ripped off his shirt during a wild speech onstage at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, revealing a Trump-Vance tank top.
“Let Trumpamania make America great again,” Hogan shouted as the crowd cheered and called the recently retired political wrestler Trump, a longtime ally, a “hero” and a “gladiator.”
Hogan said Those in attendance at the RNC in Milwaukee were “real Americans,” suggesting they should call themselves “Trumpites” if the Republican candidate were to be re-elected in the fall.
He called Trump and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance “the greatest team of my lifetime” and warned that they “are getting ready to get this country right again for all true Americans.”
“So all you criminals, all you thugs, all you scoundrels, all you drug dealers, and all you corrupt politicians, you gotta answer one question for me. What are you gonna do when Donald Trump and all those Trumpamaniacs get you, bro?”
Wrestling great Hulk Hogan ripped off his shirt to reveal a Trump-Pence tank top during a wild speech onstage Thursday night at the Republican National Convention
Hulk Hogan waves to the crowd as he makes his debut at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday night
Hulk Hogan walked onto the stage holding an American flag after unmasking himself as a supporter of former President Donald Trump
Hogan took the stage carrying an American flag and wearing an American flag T-shirt, paired with a blue jacket.
But that professional look didn’t last long: the wrestler showed off his upper body, flexed his muscles and marched across the stage.
“You know, Trump supporters, I didn’t come here as Hulk Hogan, but I wanted to give you a little taste,” he teased.
He then introduced himself to the audience as Terry Bollea and as someone who has known Trump for about 35 years.
The Republican candidate made his second visit to the Fiserv Forum on Thursday night, this time accompanied by most of his family, including daughter Ivanka Trump, who made her Milwaukee debut.
“I just had a flashback, man, this is tripping,” he told the crowd. “You know, the last time I was on stage, Donald Trump was sitting in the front row at Trump Plaza,” Hogan recalled.
Trump Plaza was one of the former president’s casino hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“I was bleeding like a pig,” Hogan continued. “And I won the world title right before Donald J. Trump!”
A vintage photo of Donald Trump (left) and wrestling great Hulk Hogan (right) at Wrestlemania in 1987
Before taking the stage, Hogan told Fox News’ Bret Baier that Saturday’s assassination attempt had spurred him into action. He had not publicly supported the ex-president until then, despite their decades-long relationship and Trump’s close ties to WWE.
“Well, you know, Bret, I got tired of being quiet,” Hogan said. “You know, I sat back and watched the borders collapse. I watched the economy collapse. You know, I watched the price of gas, the price of food, everything just go upside down.”
“And when they started shooting at my hero Donald Trump, I realized I couldn’t stay silent any longer,” Hogan said.
Hogan posted a message on his Facebook page on Saturday, featuring the now-iconic photo of Trump with blood on his face and his fist raised.
“It shook me to my core when this happened,” Hogan said. “And when I saw him standing there with that fist in the air and the blood on his face like a warrior, like a leader, I realized this is what America needs.”
“I knew it all along,” the famed wrestler continued. “I was just afraid to talk about it, but when I saw that, I realized this is the leader who’s got to get this country back on track.”