Senator Explains Roaring Ovation for Trump at NCAA Wrestling: 'They Respect a Fighter'

President Donald Trump was met with thunderous applause and chants of "USA! USA!" during the final rounds of the 2024-25 NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The reception wasn’t just loud—it was downright electric.

Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, a former wrestler himself, attended the event and spoke about the crowd's reaction to Trump, describing it as a show of "love" and "respect" for a leader who "fights for them." Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," Mullin said, "They respect a fighter. That's right at President Trump's base, and he couldn't have been more at home in that crowd than myself or any other wrestler that was participating there." Clearly, Mullin believes Trump was more in his element than a wrestler suplexing an opponent.

Among the notable attendees alongside Trump were some of his staunchest allies: tech mogul Elon Musk, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Sen. Dave McCormick, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who also happens to have a WWE executive history. Quite the VIP section, wouldn’t you say?

As Mullin recounted, Trump approached him during the event, visibly pleased by the crowd's enthusiasm. "He says, 'They absolutely love me here, don't they?' I said, ‘Sir, they do.’ He said, ‘Why do you think that?’ I said, 'Sir, every male in this building, and I'd say a lot of females in this building have been punched in the face. We're wrestling fans... they respect a fighter, and they respect you,'" Mullin shared. If there’s one thing wrestling fans love, it’s someone who can metaphorically—or literally—take a hit.

Mullin went on to add that Trump "shows every single day that he's for the people and from the people." He contrasted the reception Trump received with what he imagined President Joe Biden might experience in such a setting, quipping that chants of "Let's go Brandon" would probably replace any glowing cheers.

This marked Trump's second appearance at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in three years, having also attended the 2023 tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Love him or hate him, it seems the former president knows how to work a crowd, especially one filled with wrestling enthusiasts.

As chants of "USA!" echoed through the arena, it was clear that for at least one night, Trump had found his audience—an audience that, as Mullin put it, "respects a fighter." And let’s be real, whether in politics or wrestling, Trump knows how to play to the crowd.