Boxing legend Mike Tyson is backing President Donald Trump’s political corner ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The former heavyweight champion visited the White House on Friday and offered a brief prediction when reporters asked how Republicans would fare in the midterms.
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“I believe Donald Trump is gonna win it,” Tyson said at the West Wing briefing room before accompanying the president to a rally in Syracuse, New York.
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Before their departure, Trump joked about standing alongside one of boxing’s most feared fighters.
“I won’t be fighting him today,” Trump told reporters, adding, “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
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U.S. President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Former professional boxer Mike Tyson after he was introduced during an election rally at the Oncenter on October 09, 2026 in Syracuse, New York. Trump is in New York campaigning for local Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Their relationship dates to the 1980s, when Trump hosted boxing events featuring Tyson in Atlantic City. Their connection has since extended into cannabis advocacy.
Tyson’s cannabis advocacy has become another connection in his decades-long friendship with Trump. In June 2025, Tyson joined Kevin Durant and other athletes in urging the White House to pursue federal marijuana reform.
Their requests extended beyond rescheduling: They sought clemency for nonviolent marijuana offenses and changes to banking restrictions affecting cannabis businesses.
Donald Trump and Mike Tyson attend a March of Dimes dinner in November 1989 in New York City. (Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
Tyson told Fox News Digital rescheduling was his top priority, expressing disappointment with former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s handling of cannabis reform..
“It was a letdown, but you have to respect they were in power. You have to respect that,” Tyson said. “We have a different president now, so we’re talking to him. So, it seems to be a lot different talking to President Trump than with the other guy. And, like I said before, that’s their agenda. This is our agenda right here.”
Tyson added he believes the rescheduling of marijuana is the top priority in his federal reform goals. On top of that, he and his supporters want to see mass clemency for nonviolent marijuana offenders.
Trump took a step toward that goal in December 2025, signing an executive order directing the attorney general to expedite marijuana’s proposed move from Schedule I to Schedule III. The order instructed officials to complete the federal rulemaking process; it did not itself finalize the change.
Tyson welcomed the order while urging Trump to go further.
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“Clemency and federal legalization are the next important steps,” he wrote on X.