Donald Trump slammed for statement after death of wrestling legend

Donald Trump has long been involved with wrestling and the WWE, with the US President being a major fan of the sport, and he has made several appearances at events staged by the organisation.

In 1998 and 1999 Trump Plaza hosted and became the first venue to ever host consecutive WrestleManias, welcoming the fourth and fifth editions of the WWE event to New Jersey, while the future US President would make appearances on camera at each pay-per-view.

This would be the beginning of a long relationship between the WWE and Trump, with it being a largely positive one between the pair; however, the US President has been slammed for his statement following the death of a wrestling legend.

Ted Turner passed away at the age of 87, and he was key to the pro wrestling space, as he is known as the founder of World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

The WCW was one of the two top professional wrestling promotions in the United States alongside the World Wrestling Federation, which is now the WWE, at one point surpassing the latter in terms of popularity.

Beginning from the second half of 1999, WCW endured significant losses in ratings and revenue, but soon thereafter, WCW was shut down, and WWF purchased select WCW assets in 2001, including its video library, intellectual property (including the WCW name and championships), and some wrestler contracts.

Trump paid tribute to Turner, the man behind the WCW, with a post on social media, but his decision to take a swipe at CNN in his tribute has led to criticism.

His statement read: “Ted Turner, one of the Greats of All Time, just died. He founded CNN, sold it, and was personally devastated by the Deal because the new ownership took CNN, his “baby” and destroyed it. It became woke and everything that he is not about. Maybe the new buyers, wonderful people, will be able to bring it back to its former credibility and glory. Regardless, however, one of the Greats of Broadcast History, and a friend of mine. Whenever I needed him, he was there, always willing to fight for a good cause!”

President Donald J. Trump on the passing of Ted Turner: pic.twitter.com/OwIwl58CRT

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 6, 2026

People were quick to criticise on social media about the tribute from Trump about Turner following his passing.

One commentator said: “Focus on honouring Ted Turner's incredible legacy as a media pioneer who founded CNN and transformed the news landscape, without including any politics. RIP Ted Turner.”

While another added: “Can he ever talk about somebody without talking about himself? Is that like a possibility in his life to actually focus on someone else for a little while besides himself?”

One individual said: “Even in death, Trump can’t resist turning a legend’s eulogy into a campaign rant. Ted Turner built empires, revolutionised news, and shaped modern media while you were still stiffing contractors.

“A true icon deserves better than your petty ‘woke’ score settling on the day he passes. Classless. RIP to a pioneer, not a prop for your grudges.”