Washington (AP) -one was a businessman who became two chosen president as a reality TV star. The other was a professional wrestler who later became politically dynamic in life.
Donald Trump and Hulk Hogan’s paths crossed for the first time at a wrestling event of the tardy 1980s in one of Trump’s Atlantic City, New Jersey, and started a more than three-decadelong friendship, which was shaped by their obvious parallel career. Both were celebrities of the 80s who found greater fame in the world of reality television before they had their influence on politics.
A little more than a year before his death on Thursday in July 2024 in Milwaukee gave a rousing speech at the Republican National Congress, in which he dramatically demolished his T-shirt, to reveal another with the Trump-Vance campaign logo-and his “hero”, Trump.
Hogan said he was motivated by the attempted murder of Trump days earlier at a campaign assembly in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“What happened last week when they made a shot on my hero and tried to kill the next president of the United States, was enough, and I said: ‘Let Trumpaman lead wildly. Let Trumpamania ruled again, let Trumpamania make America great again,” said Hogan.
On Thursday, Trump mourned around his “strong, hard, clever” friend, who died of a heart attack in Clearwater, Florida. He was 71.
“We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster’. Hulk Hogan was Maga on all the way -strong, hard, clever, but with the greatest heart,” Trump wrote on his social media site with the acronym for his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”.
“He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convent, which was one of the highlights of the entire week,” said Trump. “He entertained fans from all over the world and the cultural effects he had was massive.”
Trump offered Hogan’s widow, Sky, sultry best wishes and love and said he would “be missing”.
The official report of the White House on X informed a photo of a suitable Trump and Hogan and wore a Trump-Vance campaign t-shirt with cut-off sleeves, whereby their arms were blocked as if they were struggling. The caption said: “Hulk Hogan is missing very much!” And included a Red Heart Emoji.
Trump enjoyed long collaboration with professional wrestling and some of his top officials, including the husband and the wife duo of Vince and Linda McMahon, the founders of World Wrestling Entertainment. Linda McMahon served Trump in his two administrations and is currently education secretary after led the miniature management during his first term.
In 2013, Trump was included in the WWE’s Hall of Fame’s celebrity wing.
In Milwaukee, Hogan said that he had known Trump for more than 35 years and talked about how he was the world championship title from Wrestling as the future president during a Wrestlemania event at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.
“I bleed like a pig and won the world championship title directly ahead of Donald J. Trump and, they know that he will win in November,” said Hogan at the congress.
Hogan also addressed thousands at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden last October.
After Trump had been re -elected, Hogan was part of thousands of supporters who went to Trump’s victory rally in a sports arena in Washington on the eve of the president of the president in January.
