How pro wrestling made Donald Trump a better politician

(Image credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

published 4 April 2016

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:

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…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]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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