Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan told Republicans gathered in Milwaukee for the final night of their convention that former President Donald Trump is tougher than anyone he ever faced in the ring.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea has had a relationship with the party’s presidential nominee since the late 1980s, when Trump hosted Wrestlemania IV at his hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the years that followed, Trump made numerous appearances on WWE programming.

“I’ve squared off against warriors, ooh yeah savages, and I’ve even like I said bodyslammed giants in the middle of the ring,” Hogan said in reference to wrestlers The Ultimate Warrior, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and Andre the Giant. “And I know tough guys, but let me tell you something, brother: Donald Trump is the toughest of them all.”

Hogan also touched on Trump’s brush with death during last Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“What happened last week, when they took a shot at my hero and they tried to kill the next president of the United States, enough was enough! And I said, let ‘Trumpamania’ run wild, brother. Let ‘Trumpamania’ rule again! Let ‘Trumpamania’ make America great again, Hogan said as he tore off his t-shirt to unveil a Trump/Vance campaign shirt underneath. The fired-up crowd then began chanting “USA! USA! USA!”

Hogan told the crowd the country “never had it better” than during the Trump years.

“But then we lost it all in the blink of an eye. Crime is out of control, the border is out of control, the price of food and gas is out of control, and the only person who can clean this up is Donald Trump,” Hogan added.

“He’s going to win in November, and we’re all going to be champions again,” Hogan told the crowd.
“No matter the odds, he always finds a way to win. And when he’s back in our White House, America is going to start winning again!” Hogan exclaimed as the crowd began chanting “Trump!”

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Now retired from wrestling, Hogan, 70, said earlier this year that he wouldn’t rule out running for public office himself. Fellow wrestling icon Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has also toyed with the idea of becoming a politician, and earlier this year said he would not back President Joe Biden for another term.

“Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer’s no,” Johnson said. “Do I believe we’re going to get better? I believe in that. I’m an optimistic guy, and I believe we can get better.”

In the hours after the shooting at a Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee is gaining support from a former Obama ally.

Trump was wounded while speaking to supporters Saturday night. He was rushed off-stage by the Secret Service. The FBI has since identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, not far from the location of the rally. He was killed by federal agents. One rally attendee was killed, and another was critically injured, according to a Trump social media statement after the shooting.

Following the chaos, many, including Wall Street billionaire Bill Ackman, took to social media to express support for Trump. While Ackman did not mention the attempted assassination, he said this was a decision he had made “some time ago” after spending time with the former president.

“Today, when one announces an intention to support Trump, Biden supporters who know me tend to assume that I have lost it. I assure you that I have made this decision carefully, rationally, and by relying on as much empirical data as possible,” Ackman wrote.

He joins another prominent billionaire, Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk, who reportedly announced he would donate to Trump’s campaign prior to the assassination attempt.