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How pro-wrestling shaped Trump
Apr 04, 2026
· 15m
<p>In 2007, future United States president Donald Trump stepped into the wrestling ring for a showdown with Vince McMahon, then head of World Wrestling Entertainment and Trump’s close friend.</p> <p>Trump played the villain perfectly.</p> <p>For decades now, Trump has been shaped by a love affair with professional wrestling. It taught him how to control and manipulate a crowd, how to speak, and how to respond to criticism.</p> <p>It also shaped his cabinet, with Trump appointing Linda McMahon, Vince’s ex-wife, to …