Hulk Hogan Addressed a "Room Full of Real Americans" at the Republican National Convention

The days of Hulk Hogan ripping off his shirt and giving rousing speeches that start with a guttural "brother" might be long gone, but there's still that side to Terry Bollea. You might still know him as his wrestling persona, however, and when he appeared at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, he spoke to the crowd as both himself and Hulk Hogan. His repeated phrase of "real Americans" could also be a way to promote his beer, which is called Real American Beer.

But what politics does Hogan believe in exactly? You might think there's no place for athletes like Hogan at the RNC or other events in support of a candidate. However, Hogan's support of former president Donald Trump is nothing new. In a way, it would be surprising if he wasn't there to rile up the crowd by ripping off his shirt as only Hogan can do.

Although Hogan now endorses Trump, he hasn't always leaned toward the Republican party. He was in support of former president Barack Obama when Obama ran in the 2008 election as the Democrat candidate. Then again, Hogan also considered running for office in Florida, where he said in 2018 that he would run as a Republican, if he were to ever run for office.

At the time, Hogan told TMZ that he saw the success of other formerly non-political individuals and he named Trump specifically as an example to him of how he could make it in politics.

"After seeing Donald Trump's fanbase and watching what Jesse Ventura did, in the state of Florida, I got a feeling it wouldn't be that hard," Hogan told the outlet. "I really do."

With all that in the past, it looks like Hogan now supports the Republican party above all others, which includes support for Trump getting his second term in the White House. When Hogan appeared as a celebrity guest speaker at the RNC, he ripped off his shirt to reveal a Trump-Vance shirt underneath and declared that, despite trying to 'stay out of politics," he wanted to "let Trumpmania make America great again!" This is, of course, in reference to his long-running "Hulkamania" tagline.

It's not unusual for celebrities of various calibers to appear at the RNC in support of the presidential candidate. In this case, Hogan was brought on to speak about Trump, but so was reality TV star Savannah Chrisley and model and television personality Amber Rose. Despite Hogan's past with politics, in which he supported both major parties, he is now in support of Trump's return to office, and that's why he spoke at the RNC.

"When they took a shot at my hero Donald Trump, I realized that I couldn't be silent anymore," Hogan told Fox News ahead of his appearance at the RNC. "I had to step up, I had to be a real American just like all these real Americans here, and Donald Trump. I have a voice too and I want people to know, it's time to talk, it's time not to be silent anymore."