Just when you thought WrestleMania weekend couldn’t get any more absurd, the President of the United States—and noted WWE Hall of Famer—Donald J. Trump was literally presented with a sacred Samoan Ula Fala at the White House, and now reportedly goes by “The Tribal Chief.”
No, this isn’t a rejected WWE 2K24 MyRise storyline. This happened. In real life. In the White House.
The ceremonial Ula Fala, a red-beaded necklace traditionally worn by high-ranking Samoan chiefs, was presented to Trump by White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung, who then posted the moment on X like it was a scene from Young Rock’s fever dream. The caption?
“The Tribal Chief, the President @realDonaldTrump being presented with the sacred Ula Fala!”
(Yes, there were blood drip emojis. Because of course there were.)
Important to note: Trump did not have to compete in Tribal Combat, nor did he have to pin Jey Uso or walk barefoot through fire. He simply accepted the necklace like he was unlocking a new achievement. One can only assume Paul Heyman was watching somewhere, whispering “My Tribal President…”
The gesture, while absurdly timed, reportedly wasn’t a PR stunt—despite it happening 48 hours before WrestleMania 41 and despite Trump’s long-standing ties to the McMahon family. Which is exactly the kind of thing you’d say if it was a PR stunt.
To make the day even more kayfabe-blurring, on the same day Trump received his “Tribal Chief” title, actual WWE Tribal Chief™ Roman Reigns revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that he supports the current president. That’s right—Roman is Team Trump, which means the most dominant man in wrestling is casting his vote like he books himself: confidently and without blinking.
Meanwhile, Reigns is set to headline Night One of WrestleMania 41 alongside Seth Rollins and CM Punk. There are no confirmed reports of Trump walking them to the ring while wearing the Ula Fala. Yet.
But if this ends with Trump standing on the WrestleMania ramp while the crowd chants “Acknowledge Him,” we might need to rename the premium live event to WrestleMana.