Donald Trump is crushing Joe Biden in the polls, but he's also on top when it comes to celebrity endorsements. The GOP's commanding star power was on full display Thursday night ahead of Trump's much anticipated primetime address amid reports that Biden could withdraw from the race as early as this weekend. (Keep fighting, Joe!)
Consider this mind-blowing fact: Linda McMahon, the former Trump administration official and wife of professional wrestling pioneer Vince McMahon, was one of three convention speakers Thursday night who has been on the receiving end of a "Stone Cold Stunner." (If you have to ask, you don't deserve to know.)
"Honestly incredible speaking lineup at the RNC," Semafor editor Max Tani wrote. "Tucker Carlson opening up for the general manager for Trump's golf club, then we've got Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, and Dana White."
Hulk Hogan, the professional wrestling icon and star of the 1996 feature film Santa with Muscles, whipped the convention crowd into a frenzy at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. He instantly reminded viewers of his undisputed status as one of the greatest American entertainers to ever live.
"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 TRUMP-A-MANIA RUN WILD, BROTHER!" The Hulk roared while tearing his shirt in half to reveal a Trump-Vance logo underneath. "LET TRUMP-A-MANIA RULE AGAIN! LET TRUMP-A-MANIA MAKE AMERICAN GREAT AGAIN!"
In addition to his illustrious professional career, Hogan is widely admired for his efforts to take down Gawker, the hipster gossip website whose former editor admitted in court that he would consider child porn "newsworthy." Whereas George Clooney and other relatively uncharismatic liberal celebs have been begging President Joe Biden to step aside, Hogan offered his full-throated endorsement of the Republican nominee.
"Over my career, I've been in the ring with some of the biggest, some of the baddest dudes on the planet, and I've squared off against warriors," Hogan said. "Donald Trump is the toughest of them all."
The arena sizzled with star power. The convention band, Nashville-based Sixwire, banged out hit after hit. Attendees saw a video montage of Trump's long history of cultivating friendships with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and fat Al Sharpton. Musical legend Kid Rock took the stage and echoed Trump's now iconic chant of "fight, fight," seconds after surviving an assassination, while performing his hit song, "Cowboy." UFC chief executive Dana White introduced the speaker everyone had come to see, the "toughest man" he's ever met, the ultimate celebrity: Donald Trump.
Even liberal journalists could feel the excitement. "The last time I was at a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008," CNN analyst Van Jones said. "There's something happening." His colleague Scott Jennings concurred. "This is a vibes election," he said. "The vibes on the floor here are simply outrageous."