We wouldn’t deem Donald Trump as the fittest of the lot! However, much to our surprise (and that of others), the former president has recently been awarded a black belt by the South Korean president of Taekwondo, albeit on an honorary basis. Yes, that’s right!
Ceremony at Palm Beach, Florida:
Presented by Lee Dong Seop, President of Kukkiwon, the world taekwondo headquarters located in South Korea, the 9th Dan Black belt, is the highest level that professional martial artists can attain. It was awarded to Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday (November 19, 2021).
Commenting on the achievement, Trump, in a statement reported by DailyMail, said, ”It is my pleasure and honor to receive this honorary certificate. Taekwondo is a great martial art for protecting oneself in these times.”
In a similar statement, Lee noted, ”I heard that Donald Trump is highly interested in Taekwondo,” while handing over the certificated to the ex-president. A series of photos doing the rounds on the Internet also show the latter signing a Taekwondo outfit at the same event.
A promise to wear full martial arts suit on being re-elected to the White House:
As per reports, Trump has stated that he would look to wear the taekwondo clothing in Congress should he make a return to the White House in the future. He also invited the Kukkiwon demonstration team to the United States to perform.
Following the ceremony, Trump and Lee also posed in front of a photo at Mar-a-Lago showing the former president shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Korean demilitarized zone in 2019.
Not the First to Receive the Honor:
As surprising as the news of Trump receiving the 9th Dan Black belt is, it isn’t the first of its kind. In 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin was also awarded the same honor during his visit to Seoul. With this achievement, the former US president and Putin have outranked martial arts expert and “Walker, Texas Ranger” star Chuck Norris, who only has an eighth-degree taekwondo black belt.
