President Donald Trump may be coming to Philadelphia on Saturday to attend the men’s NCAA wrestling championships, but he’s getting a WWE-style “Nature Boy” Ric Flair welcome from enthusiastic local Republicans.
“I hope President Trump enjoys his time in Philadelphia and in the commonwealth that put him back into the White House!” said Bucks County Republican Chair Pat Poprik.
It is Trump’s first Delaware Valley visit since retaking the White House. He’ll be joined at the NCAA match by freshman U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, who wrestled in high school and at West Point.
“I’m thrilled to be in Philadelphia this weekend with President Trump for the NCAA Wrestling Championship at the Wells Fargo Center,” said McCormick. “I grew up wrestling in small towns across Pennsylvania and at West Point. Wrestling taught me grit, resilience, hard work. It’s full circle for me watching collegiate athletes compete on the mat, and I’m excited to see the incredible Penn State team hopefully bring home another championship.
During a campaign stop in Montgomery County last year, McCormick credited the lessons he learned from wrestling as helping him hang tough.
“I wrestled in college. If I got into the third period within a point or two, I always knew I’d win because the third period in wrestling is not about wrestling. It’s about mental toughness. It’s about heart. It’s about staying on offense every single second. That’s what I’m going to do in the next six days,” McCormick said shortly before the election.
Trump has his own, slightly less athletic, connections to the sport. The only WWE Hall of Fame inductee ever elected president of the United States, Trump had an infamous ringside encounter with the organization’s CEO Vince McMahon, who Trump took out with a body blow.
But there are no hard feelings: McMahon’s wife Linda is Trump’s Secretary of Education.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are also expected to join Trump at the NCAA wrestling championship. Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, is a former undefeated Mixed Martial Arts fighter in the Oklahoma Wrestling Hall of Fame. Jordan was a champion wrestler in high school and a two-time NCAA wrestling champion in college.
With Trump returning to the state, DVJournal asked local Republicans how they think the president is doing in his early days back in office and if they have any advice.
“I think he’s doing an excellent job,” said Poprik. “It is refreshing to have a commander in chief who is visible and working around the clock. His accomplishments in just two months are incredible. He’s been delivering on his promises to the American people and we’re all excited to see what he has in store for these next four years.”
“Just some eight weeks into his new term, President Trump is acting on his campaign promises, and in order to achieve them he is upending some long-standing institutions,” said Frank Agovino, Delaware County GOP chairman. “Ultimately, the president understands the government is too big and our national debt jeopardizes our standing as a global leader. As a local party leader, I’m concerned that swing voters who came our way in November 24 may not be there for us in ’25. It remains to be seen, but patience is needed most now–but isn’t always apparent in politics.”
Guy Ciarrocchi, a Republican pundit and former congressional candidate, joked, “With President Trump coming back to Philly to watch wrestling at Wells Fargo, he ought to keep an eye out for weird Tim Walz showing up in wrestling tights after his remarks this week.”
“It’s good that Trump continues to go to events that we all go to—as fans. Things that bring us together,” said Ciarrocchi. “My message (to Trump) is: Push-on. Biden and the Dems in Congress ruined a lot, from the border to our economy to our safety. Fixing it will take time, persistence and courage. Fight on!”
