President Donald Trump’s decades-long friendship with Hulk Hogan was forged over a love of professional wrestling but developed into a political alliance that eventually culminated in Hogan earning a spot in the president’s trusted circle.
Beginning in the 1980s, the two men embarked on parallel journeys to ultimate fame in their respective careers while maintaining a relationship that benefitted one another.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, died on July 24 at the age of 71.
The president remembered his “great friend” in a post on Truth Social, calling him “strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.”
“He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive,” Trump said. “To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!”
A start in the wrestling world
Trump and Hogan first met in the 1980s when both were budding celebrities known for their over-the-top ways.
Hogan, standing at 6’7” and weighing approximately 300 pounds, was a wrestling star who headlined multiple WrestleMania events, including WrestleMania IV and V held at Trump Plaza in 1989.
Trump, a titan of the real estate industry of New York at the time, sponsored the events and sat ringside.
“My first interaction with Trump was WrestleMania four and five, and you know, I didn’t think he’d come to the show. But he was there early, came in the dressing room, met all the wrestlers,” Hogan told PBD Podcast last year while recalling his first meeting with Trump.
At WrestleMania V, Trump once again sat ringside, this time watching as Hogan defeated André the Giant.
“He’s the same guy now that he was back then,” Hogan told PBD Podcast. “He hasn’t changed a bit. I mean, he’s just a quality person.”
The transition to the MAGA world
Hogan wasn’t always a MAGA Republican; in fact, he endorsed former president Barack Obama up until his re-election in 2012. After that, Hogan changed his tune and when Trump stepped into the political ring as a candidate contender in 2016, Hogan jumped on board.
While he did not issue a public endorsement of Trump until 2024, Hogan said he did support Trump in 2016.
The only hint of that Hogan gave publicly was in 2015 when he suggested he could be Trump’s running mate.
“I don’t want to be in the ring with any candidates, I want to be Trump’s running mate,” Hogan told TMZ at the time when asked which 2016 candidate he would get into the ring with.
“Did you hear that?” he said. “Vice President Hogan?”
Ultimately, Trump went with Mike Pence as his running mate. But Hogan would eventually make an appearance on stage with Trump when he spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention and Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
But in between Trump’s 2016 presidential win and 2024 presidential win, Hogan experienced some life events that brought him closest to the MAGA world.
In 2016, Hogan filed a $100 million lawsuit against former pop culture blog Gawker for publishing an excerpt of his sex tape. The lawsuit was backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, who had also been subjected to gossip spread by Gawker after the online blog outed him.
Hogan eventually won the lawsuit, initially for $140 million, but settled with Gawker for $31 million. That ultimately led to Gawker’s closing.
The lawsuit occurred at the same time Trump was unleashing his anger at the media, branding many as “fake news.”
Some, including Brian Knappenberger, who directed a documentary on Hogan’s lawsuit, believed there were “direct parallels” between the Gawker suit and Trump’s rise to fame.
‘MAGA all the way’
Hogan decided to use his theatrical personality to endorse and advocate for Trump at the RNC after seeing the president survive an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics,” Hogan said on stage at the convention, wearing a red bandana. “But after everything that’s happened to our country over the past four years, and everything that happened last weekend, I can no longer stay silent.”
Tapping into his entertainment background, Hogan decided to endorse the president by yelling into the microphone while ripping his shirt off with his bare hands to reveal a “Trump Vance 2024” tank top underneath, flexing his muscles the entire time.
“Let TrumpMania run wild, brother!” he shouted. “Let TrumpMania rule again! Let TrumpMania make America great again!”
In remembering his friend, Trump recalled Hogan’s “absolutely electric speech” at the RNC.
“That was one of the highlights of the entire week,” Trump said after Hogan’s death.
Hogan tapped into that same energy again at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in New York in October 2024 – this time wearing a red and yellow feathered boa.
“We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster,’” Trump said after his death. “Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way.”
