Donald Trump blows a kiss in the air as Hulk Hogan rips his shirt off on stage in surreal scene at the Republican National Convention

US President Donald Trump applauded, smiled and blew a kiss to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan when he took off his shirt during his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.

Hogan, 70, praised the former president as his “hero” and “wrestler” in an impassioned speech that recalled some of his greatest moments on the microphone as a WWE star in the 1980s.

“I said! Let the Trump madness spread, bro,” he shouted, ripping off his shirt — his signature ringside style — to reveal a sleeveless T-shirt bearing a Trump-Vance image underneath.

Hogan referred to the duo as “the greatest tag team of my life,” and continued: “During my career, I’ve been in the ring with some of the biggest, baddest men on the planet. Donald Trump is the biggest of them all.

“They’ve thrown everything at Donald Trump, all the investigations, all the impeachments, all the lawsuits, and he’s still standing there kicking them.”

Trump has long boasted impressive ties to the world of professional wrestling, defeating wrestling mogul Vince McMahon in a “Battle of the Billionaires” event at WrestleMania 2007.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame six years later. Hogan himself was inducted into the Hall in 2005.