While Johnson has a track record of openly critiquing Trump, and there were even hints of him considering a presidential run in 2020, it seems he may have eased up a bit lately. In a recent interview, he acknowledged the significant admiration for Trump within the UFC and WWE communities, expressing surprise at the standing ovations Trump received at these events.
Massive crowd at UFC Miami chants “U-S-A” after Trump greets crowd 🇺🇸
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 9, 2023
https://t.co/AHGBM8lbzD
From Western Journal:
Johnson also seemed warmer toward Trump than he has in the recent past when he noted the GOP front-runner in this year’s presidential race gets raucous support from UFC fans.
Cain asked Khan about the former president’s popularity with fight fans and his involvement with pro wrestling.
“Donald Trump, he has a long history with WWE,” the host said. “What does it mean that both the WWE audience and the UFC audience seem to have such an appreciation or celebration of Donald Trump?”
In a non-reply to Cain’s question, Khan said the WWE has sellout crowds in both red and blue states and isn’t “focused” on politics.
But The Rock did not just let the question of Trump’s popularity with the fans go unaddressed.
He enthusiastically chimed in to note that the crowd goes wild when Trump attends an event.
“If politicians are fans of our product, they’re welcome,” he said, sidestepping the issue entirely.
“How about that ovation he gets when he comes out?” Johnson said with a grin on his face.
