ESPN host Pat McAfee moonlights as a WWE performer, so when he casually mentioned one ‘Commander-in-chief’ ahead of this weekend’s WrestleMania 41, many were quick to assume President Donald Trump plans to attend the two-day extravaganza in Las Vegas.
“The tribal Commander-in-chief has the Ula Fala in Washington, DC that thing is on a private plane, heading over here to Las Vegas,’ McAfee told his panel on Friday.
Often worn by WWE superstar Roman Reigns, the ‘Ula Fala’ is a traditional Samoan necklace worn to indicate a person’s seniority or importance. And it just so happens that Trump was presented with one in the Oval Office a day earlier.
McAfee’s cryptic remark was immediately taken as a sign that Trump, a Las Vegas hotelier, would be back in Sin City to make his triumphant return to the ring.
‘Pat McAfee just hinted that Donald Trump is headed to WrestleMania 41,’ one X user wrote.
Another X account, @LasVegasLocally, echoed the rumor but there has been no confirmation. DailyMail.com’s request for comment from a WWE spokesman was not immediately answered Friday night.
US Delegate Amata Coleman Radewagen (left) of American Samoa joins President Donald Trump as he signs a proclamation in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday
Often worn by WWE superstar Roman Reigns , the ‘Ula Fala’ is a traditional Samoan necklace worn to indicate a person’s seniority or importance. Trump received his own on Thursday
Pat McAfee and Michael Cole on commentary during Monday Night RAW on April 7
Likewise, the White House has given no indication Trump has any such plans.
He did recently receive some praise from a key WWE figure in Roman Reigns, a Florida Democrat.
As Reigns told Vanity Fair: ‘I support our President. Trump is one of those guys where he’s got a vast history and a huge background. He’s been in entertainment. He’s been in big business, politics.
‘At this point, I’m supporting a bright future for our country. Positive and competent leadership. For us to be what we’re supposed to be – to be a world leader and carry that respect and do what a world power like us should be doing.’
That said, Anoa’i isn’t the biggest fan of Trump’s appetite for rivalries and picking fights with opponents.
‘He needs that opposition to bounce off of. He needs that competitive motivation or something,’ he said.
‘To be honest, the world seems to be more like wrestling than any other form of entertainment.’
Vince McMahon has his head shaved by Trump after losing a bet in the Battle of the Billionaires
Trump has history with the WWE, too. In 2007, he helped shave Vince McMahon’s head in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23.
Since his return as president for a second time, Trump has made appearances at sporting events a staple of his return to power.
He was at 314 in Miami last weekend, as well as appearing at a NASCAR event, NCAA wrestling and becoming the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl in February.
But an appearance in Vegas this weekend hasn’t been mooted.
Reigns, meanwhile, will take on CM Punk and Seth Rollins in a triple-threat match in Sin City on Saturday.
