President Trump mourned the death of actor Chuck Norris on Friday, telling reporters he was a “tough cookie” and a “great supporter” of his.
“I thought he was a great guy,” Trump said while leaving the White House.
“He was a great guy. He was a really good tough cookie. You didn’t want to fight him, I can tell you. He was a tough, great guy.”
The president added: “A great supporter. Wow, that’s too bad.”
The two men had a long-standing friendship, going back years. Norris endorsed Trump for president in his first campaign in 2016.
They are believed to have met in 1991 at WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles, California.
Norris, an Air Force veteran, was a longtime Republican who’s been involved in presidential politics for decades. He founded a nonprofit with President George H.W. Bush that promoted martial arts instruction for kids. The two even went skydiving for Bush’s 80th birthday in 2018.
And, in the 2008 Republican primary, Norris endorsed then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee for president although Huckabee ultimately failed to garner the nomination.
The 86-year-old “Walker, Texas Ranger” star died Thursday, in what his family described as a “sudden passing.”
A beloved icon of toughness, Norris’ supporters made him go viral when they started posted “Chuck Norris Facts” online.
Trump’s fans embraced the idea with their own “Trump Facts.”
This is a developing story. Check back for more.
