![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130887170,imgsize-167562,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/cnn-founder-ted-turner-a-brash-and-outspoken-television-pioneer-has-died-at-age-87.jpg\" "\\"FILE")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDonald Trump has come under criticism after paying tribute to late WCW founder Ted Turner while also using the statement to attack CNN following Turner\u2019s death at the age of 87. Turner\u2019s death was confirmed on Wednesday through a statement released by Turner Enterprises. The broadcasting billionaire had revealed in 2018 that he was living with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder, and had also been hospitalised earlier in 2025 with a mild case of pneumonia before recovering at a rehabilitation facility. Beyond founding CNN and building one of the most influential media empires in modern broadcasting, Turner remains one of the most important figures in professional wrestling history after acquiring Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988 and transforming it into World Championship Wrestling. Under Turner\u2019s ownership, WCW became the only company in the modern era to consistently beat Vince McMahon<\/a>\u2019s WWF in the television ratings, defeating Raw for 83 consecutive weeks during the height of the Monday Night Wars. <\/p>\n Following Turner\u2019s death, Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social, but the statement quickly drew backlash online because of its criticism of CNN. Trump wrote: \u201cTed Turner, one of the Greats of All Time, just died. He founded CNN, sold it, and was personally devastated by the Deal because the new ownership took CNN, his \u2018baby\u2019 and destroyed it. It became woke and everything that he is not about. Maybe the new buyers, wonderful people, will be able to bring it back to its former credibility and glory. \u201cRegardless, however, one of the Greats of Broadcast History, and a friend of mine. Whenever I needed him, he was there, always willing to fight for a good cause!\u201d <\/p>\n The reaction online was immediate, with many users criticising the decision to include political commentary inside a tribute to Turner. One commenter wrote: \u201cFocus on honouring Ted Turner\u2019s incredible legacy as a media pioneer who founded CNN and transformed the news landscape, without including any politics. RIP Ted Turner.\u201d Another user added: \u201cCan he ever talk about somebody without talking about himself? Is that like a possibility in his life to actually focus on someone else for a little while besides himself?\u201d A third post read: \u201cEven in death, Trump can\u2019t resist turning a legend\u2019s eulogy into a campaign rant. Ted Turner built empires, revolutionised news, and shaped modern media while you were still stiffing contractors. \u201cA true icon deserves better than your petty \u2018woke\u2019 score settling on the day he passes. Classless. RIP to a pioneer, not a prop for your grudges.\u201d <\/p>\n Turner\u2019s impact stretched far beyond wrestling. CNN launched in 1980 as the world\u2019s first 24-hour cable news network and changed television news permanently, particularly during its coverage of the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991. His broadcasting empire later expanded to include TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies, while he also owned the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers NHL franchise. <\/p>\n FILE – Ted Turner is seen at his desk inside the CNN Center in 1982. (Nancy Mangiafico\/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Within wrestling, Turner\u2019s willingness to compete directly with WWF changed the business permanently. After asking former WCW executive producer Eric Bischoff what it would take to challenge WWE, Turner approved the creation of WCW Monday Nitro in 1995, launching the show directly opposite Monday Night Raw on TNT. The rivalry produced some of wrestling\u2019s defining moments, including Hulk Hogan\u2019s heel turn and the rise of the nWo faction featuring Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. WCW\u2019s momentum eventually collapsed following the AOL-Time Warner merger in 2001, when new Turner Broadcasting leadership cancelled WCW programming, leading to WWF purchasing the company\u2019s assets, intellectual property and video library later that year.<\/p>\n Trump has long maintained ties with the wrestling industry and WWE. Trump Plaza became the first venue to host consecutive WrestleManias when it staged WrestleMania IV and WrestleMania V in 1988 and 1989 respectively in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with Trump himself appearing on camera during both events.His relationship with wrestling continued for decades afterward through various WWE appearances and public support for the industry, making his reaction to Turner\u2019s death particularly notable given WCW\u2019s historic rivalry with WWF during the 1990s.<\/div>\nTrump\u2019s tribute to Ted Turner sparks backlash <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Social media users criticise Trump\u2019s comments <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Ted Turner\u2019s impact on WCW and the Monday Night Wars <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Ted](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-130887129\/ted-turners-vision-of-news-as-global-and-continuous-changed-both-the-industry-and-society-itself.jpg\" "\\"FILE")
<\/p>\nTrump\u2019s long history with wrestling and WWE<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n