Fans attending an All Elite Wrestling event in Canada on Wednesday night made their displeasure with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy loud and clear, chanting “Fuck the tariffs.” The outburst is the latest instance of the world of professional wrestling turning against Trump, despite his years of cultivating close ties with it.
The chant occurred during the “AEW Dynamite” broadcast airing from Canada Life Centre, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. On the live broadcast, the crowd could be clearly slamming Trump’s trade policy.
Attendees also booed wrestler MJF—an antagonist character known as a “heel” in wrestling terminology—who wore American-flag-themed wrestling attire while he taunted the crowd by saying, “God bless the United States of America.”
For months, Canada has been in the crosshairs of Trump’s tariff policy. Trump has tried to extract concessions from the Canadian government by adding extra costs to Canadian goods. As a result, American consumers have been forced to pay more for goods from one of America’s closest allies.
AEW’s events on U.S. soil have also been featured anti-Trump sentiment. At an AEW broadcast from Las Vegas in February, the crowd erupted in a “Fuck ICE” chant. AEW wrestler Brody King also sells an “Abolish ICE” line of merchandise on his website, with funds benefitting the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee.
Outside of AEW, legendary wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley announced that he had quit the company in December. Foley cited close ties between WWE leadership and the Trump administration as the reason for his departure.
Foley said he didn’t want to “represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy.”
In March, Foley released a video calling on conservatives and right-leaning independents to break away from the MAGA movement. He cited the Trump-led movement’s support of fascism, bigotry, and misogyny in a video titled “WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.”
The wrestling world’s push against Trump hits at his core. Trump was once a part of WWE and is in the company’s hall of fame. He is a close ally of WWE founder Vince McMahon, whose wife Linda McMahon, a former WWE CEO, has served in both of Trump’s presidential administrations, including as his current education secretary.
Former WWE star Triple H, now the company’s chief content officer, appeared with Trump at the White House last year. And before his death, iconic wrestler and notorious racist Hulk Hogan endorsed Trump at the Republican Party’s 2024 national convention.
Trump has been talking up plans to host a UFC match on the White House lawn in June. UFC and WWE are both owned by entertainment company TKO Group Holdings Inc.
The world of wrestling was once Trump’s domain. But he is losing support across the board with the public, and the lusty boos of wrestling fans in two countries demonstrates that Trump is a loser in their world as well.
Published with permission of Daily Kos
