Former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan reprised his WWE persona in a high-energy speech in support of former President Donald Trump on Thursday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where Trump is set to accept the Republican nomination in a speech closing out the Republican National Convention.
Professional entertainer and wrestler Hulk Hogan rips his shirt as he speaks on stage on the fourth ... [+]
Hogan gave a rousing speech, chock full of wrestling analogies, at one point performing his signature move of ripping off his T-shirt with his hands to reveal a “Trump-Vance” shirt underneath, as the crowd chanted “USA, USA.”
Hogan spoke after Trump entered the arena to AC/DC’s “Back in Black” just before 8 p.m. EDT, ahead of his 10 p.m. speech.
Former First Lady Melania Trump was spotted backstage about an hour-and-a-half later, according to a New York Times photo of her with Trump, one of her first official appearances on the campaign trail during her husband’s third run for president.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has a checkered past with Trump after he allegedly said he hated Trump "passionately" in a leaked text message, received some of the loudest applause of all the week's speakers as he took the stage just before 9 p.m., recounting in his speech how he spoke to Trump hours after he was shot Saturday in a phone call in which Carlson said Trump told him he was "proud" of the crowd for not running from the gunshots.
The speech will mark the first time Trump has spoken publicly since he was shot at his rally Saturday in Pennsylvania (he spoke at a private event in Milwaukee on Wednesday, telling supporters “God was with me.”)
Trump has attended the prime-time speeches during the previous three days of the convention, with a bandage covering the bullet wound to his right ear; he appeared visibly emotional as he entered the arena Monday, marking his first major public appearance since the assassination attempt.
Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, retired wrestler Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White are among the speakers scheduled for prime-time addresses before Trump takes the stage.
Trump rewrote his speech in the wake of the assassination attempt to focus less on attacking President Joe Biden and more on a message of unity, he told The Washington Examiner over the weekend. “This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together,” Trump said.
Trump’s speech comes as the presidential race could undergo another drastic change in the coming days as some top Democrats expect President Joe Biden will end his reelection bid following the backlash from his June 27 debate performance, Axios reported. Trump will accept the nomination Thursday as he has widened his lead over Biden to three points—a 1.5-point increase since the June 27 debate, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average.
Trump’s speech comes after Ohio Sen. JD Vance made his national debut as Trump’s running mate at the convention Wednesday, delivering a speech that leaned heavily on his Rust Belt roots in an appeal to Midwestern voters. Tuesday’s convention line-up featured several ex-Trump foes, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who endorsed Trump for the first time since she ran against him in this year’s GOP primary.
JD Vance Highlights ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Roots—And Praises Trump—In Debut RNC Speech (Forbes)
Nikki Haley Endorses Donald Trump At Day 2 Of Republican Convention (Forbes)