President Trump, lawmakers and others in the political world are expressing their condolences over the death of professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.
Hogan, who made a memorable appearance during last year’s Republican National Convention backing Trump’s reelection campaign, died Thursday in Florida at age 71.
“We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster.’ Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday afternoon.
“He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive. To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!” the president added.
Vice President Vance called Hogan “a great American icon” in a post on the social platform X, saying he was “one of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid.”
“The last time I saw him we promised we’d get beers together next time we saw each other,” Vance added. “The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend! Rest in peace.”
“We all have fond memories of @HulkHogan. From my childhood in the ‘80s, to campaigning with him last year, I always saw him as a giant in stature and in life. May he rest in peace,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in his own post.
Hogan pumped up the crowd at the GOP convention last summer in Milwaukee, tearing off his shirt in dramatic fashion and declaring “Trumpamania,” a play on his own “Hulkamania.”
“When [Trump’s] back in the White House, America’s going to start winning again,” Hogan said.
Hogan, who was born Terry Bollea, suggested after the election that Trump might give him a position in his administration.
“My president said, ‘You know something, you’d be great to run the President’s Council on Physical Fitness,’” Hogan said in a Fox News interview at the time. The former six-time WWE champion and WWE Hall of Fame member did not ultimately join the administration.
The WWE praised Hogan on Thursday as “one of pop culture’s most recognizable figures,” noting he “helped WWE achieve global recognition with the Hulkamania craze of the 1980s and reignited sports-entertainment’s popularity in the 1990s.”
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk said in a post on X that “Hulk Hogan was a genuine, uniquely American creation.”
“Fearlessly original. Flawed but unbowed. He had the courage to stand on his own principles, and he never stopped fighting for his country. An American icon. He will be missed,” Kirk said.
“I’ll never forget his speech in support of my father at the Republican National Convention,” Donald Trump Jr. posted Thursday, calling Hogan “a real American icon.”
