Jesse Ventura called Donald Trump’s WWE Hall of Fame induction “a tragedy” during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, said Trump “never earned it,” pointed to his friend Ken Patera as an example of someone who deserves the honor more, challenged Trump to get in the ring since he has never had a match, and used the wrestling term “blade job” when asked about the 2024 assassination attempt.
Ventura was shown a clip from WrestleMania 20 in which he said the country might need a wrestler in the White House in 2008. Piers Morgan noted that Trump has since been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which Ventura dismissed.
“Trump being a Hall of Famer is a tragedy,” Ventura said. “This guy has never been in the ring. I got a good friend, Ken Patera, Olympian, first man to overhead press 500 pounds, 25 years in the wrestling business. Kenny Patera is not in the Hall of Fame. Donald Trump does not belong in the wrestling Hall of Fame. He never earned it.”
Ventura said the standard for earning a Hall of Fame spot should be based on what performers endured in the ring. “You know what I had to do to get in the pro wrestling Hall of Fame? At one point in my career, I wrestled 63 consecutive nights in a row,” he said. “That’s how you get in the Hall of Fame.”
When Morgan clarified that the WrestleMania 20 clip appeared to show Ventura endorsing Trump for president, Ventura corrected him. “When I was referring to putting a wrestler in the White House, I was talking about me, not him,” he said. “I was the former governor of Minnesota. I’m the only real former wrestler. I don’t include him. He’s only in the Hall of Fame because he stopped an investigation against Vince McMahon, sexual stuff.”
Ventura Challenges Trump to Get in the Ring
Ventura said he is working on something that could send him to Washington to confront Trump directly, though he declined to share details. “You’ll have to find out, wait and see. I’m not going to spill it here,” he said.
He framed it in military terms. “We withstood the onslaught of the Gestapo in Minnesota,” Ventura said. “I was taught in war to do this: you ensure that your backyard is secure. That’s the first thing you do. Well, Minnesota is now secure. We’ve repelled the onslaught from Trump. Now it’s time for us to go on the offense. So maybe it’s time to send the Navy SEAL to Washington. Maybe it’s time for a showdown between the Vietnam veteran and the draft dodger.”
When Morgan asked if he meant a physical confrontation, Ventura pivoted to Trump’s Hall of Fame status. “No, but if he wants it, he’s in the Hall of Fame. Let’s both get in the ring,” Ventura said. “After all, he’s in the Hall of Fame, isn’t he? Even though he’s never, ever had a match. Do you think he’d have the guts to do that? Are you kidding me?”
“You Ever Hear of a Blade Job?”
Morgan brought up the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump, saying he believed Trump was heroic that day for getting back up and saying “fight, fight, fight.” Ventura responded by invoking a wrestling term.
“Oh yeah, right, right, right. You ever hear of a blade job?” Ventura said.
Morgan pressed him on whether he was suggesting the shooting was fake. “I don’t know. Where’s his scar today?” Ventura said. Morgan pointed out that someone died behind Trump at the rally. Ventura did not back down from the implication.
Morgan said he thought Trump was heroic on that day. Ventura responded: “Yeah, well, he accomplished what he wanted out of you guys.”
“A Draft-Dodging Coward”
Ventura repeatedly contrasted his family’s military service record with Trump’s throughout the interview, calling Trump “a draft-dodging coward” and saying his family has served in every American conflict going back to World War I.
“My Uncle Emil fought in World War I. My parents both fought in World War II. My father had six bronze battle stars in Europe. My mother was a nurse in North Africa, which predated Normandy, fighting Rommel, the Desert Fox. Both my parents were World War II veterans. My brother and I are both Vietnam veterans and members of the Navy UDT SEALs. We both did two tours to Southeast Asia. So everyone in my family is a war veteran.”
Ventura used the comparison to call for Trump’s son Barron to enlist. “Nobody’s ever served in the military. To my knowledge, a Trump in the last hundred years has never done military service,” Ventura said. “Well, Barron, you can change that. Enlist in the United States military right now. Do something your father didn’t have the courage to do. Do something your father didn’t have the patriotism to do. I want to see a Trump in the military. Everybody in my family has served.”
When Morgan noted that Barron might be too tall to serve, Ventura dismissed the excuse. “David Robinson served on active duty. He was seven feet tall before he ever went to the San Antonio Spurs basketball team,” Ventura said. “David Robinson went to the United States Navy Military Academy.”
“He’ll Start the Fight but He’ll Hold Your Coat”
Morgan asked what Ventura would say to Trump if he had the chance. Ventura said he would prefer not to speak with him.
“To me, he has no courage, he never has,” Ventura said. “I’ll tell you what he is, Piers. Everybody knows these people. You’re with a group of guys, and there’s always one guy who will start the fight and then hold your coat. That’s Donald Trump. He’ll start the fight, but he’ll hold your coat, and then the next day he’ll tell everybody how tough he was.”
Ventura also addressed the Iran situation, calling the war unjustified and saying Trump started the conflict. “We fired the first shot, plain and simple,” Ventura said. “You want to put it in Rambo terms, we drew first blood.”
When Morgan said he felt Trump was heroic on the day of the shooting, Ventura pivoted back to Vietnam. “You know what I feel bad about? If he’d have joined us in Vietnam, we might have won,” Ventura said. “Why did he run and hide when he could have joined us and led us to victory? Considering he called us all suckers, didn’t he?”
The timeline wouldn’t add up here because Trump was inducted in 2013. He was not yet running for President.
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