When it is suggested that Donald Trump is, fundamentally, an entertainer, most critics are referring to his reality show The Apprentice and not to Trump's long history with the World Wrestling Federation. But it should be noted that beginning in 1988, Trump brought WrestleMania IV to Trump Plaza in Atlantic City — and began a carefully constructed relationship with the sport that National Review's Stephen L. Miller argues helped mold the politician the public knows today.
The Apprentice was perhaps the first indication Trump had been carefully watching wrestling and learning from it. From the scripted drama on the show to Trump's catchphrase and theme music, The Apprentice gave the illusion of being real — and, even if they knew better, the audiences watching didn't care if it wasn't. It was also from wrestling that Trump learned to attract his biggest fans: blue-collar, white-male audiences. Even Trump's names for his political opponents — Lyin' Ted Cruz, Little Marco Rubio — have the ring of WWE.
Trump constructed his public persona in wrestling, too. In 2007, Trump defied the villainous Commissioner Vince McMahon in a performance where he rained down McMahon's own money on the crowd. The stunt was rehearsed and planned; Trump towered on the screen as he "beat" his "enemy." Later, on Monday Night Raw, Trump "won" the "Battle of the Billionaires" when his wrestler, Bobby Lashley, took down a wrestler representing McMahon — just as planned:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
…Once he entered the ring, the persona of Trump the showman took over — and it's this persona that presents itself in politics today, enthralling riled-up crowds ready for a fight. Trump the businessman died the moment he stood nose to nose with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Trump the showman was born as he took a razor to Vince McMahon’s fleshy melon — and like a shark with a taste for blood, that's all it took.If Trump could translate his populist success to anything, it had to be politics. His fans, as loyal and rabid as any of John Cena's, care about Trump's conservative bona fides about as much as they do the Undertaker's. What matters to them is that Trump, like the Undertaker, exists to punish their enemies — and that punishing will be broadcast and celebrated. [National Review]
Read the entire story at National Review.
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
