WWE’s Stephanie McMahon, alongside her mother Linda McMahon and husband Paul “Triple H” Levesque, visited the White House today to support a new initiative focused on pediatric cancer. During the event, Stephanie McMahon delivered a speech detailing the story of WWE fan Connor “The Crusher” Michalek, whose battle with cancer inspired the effort.
McMahon shared her memories of meeting Connor, who was eight years old at the time, after a Royal Rumble event. “You could tell he was sick. He had a big scar that was running up the back of his neck and a lump on his head, but you would never know it from his personality,” she said. She recounted his personality, noting he “didn’t want to hug me because he gave choke out hugs” and “booed his favorite nurse when she came to give his chemo”.
She described the moment she learned of his prognosis from his father. “As I stood up from my aforementioned choke out hug, Connor’s Dad told me that he didn’t have long to live, and I didn’t want to believe that,” McMahon said. “I kissed him goodbye on his soft little cheek, and when he looked back at me, I made an unspoken promise to fight for him and kids just like him. Kids shouldn’t even know what cancer is, let alone have to face it”.
The purpose of the visit was to support an executive order related to the cause. “This executive order makes kids with cancer the first focus of AI innovation across healthcare in America,” McMahon stated. She made a call for unity around the issue, saying, “If there is one thing in the world that could bring us together, please let it be our children… if your child was diagnosed with cancer, you wouldn’t care what party their doctor belonged to. You would just want the best”.
This is not the first time the McMahon family has been involved in White House affairs. Linda McMahon served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, a cabinet-level position she held from 2017 to 2019. During her tenure, other members of the McMahon family, including Vince McMahon, also visited the White House.
The family’s appearance today continues their public advocacy for pediatric cancer research, a cause that has been a significant part of WWE’s community outreach for years, largely through the Connor’s Cure initiative, which was founded in honor of Michalek. You can watch the clip below.
