The White House communications director's jesting reference to Mike Tyson has turned the current election campaign into a spectacle where even ears seem fair game.

The White House Communications Director, Jason Zhang, posted today: “The heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has arrived! No one’s ears are safe!” (a reference to the infamous 1997 boxing match in which Tyson bit a piece from Evander Holyfield’s ear).

President Trump invited Tyson to join him in Syracuse for a campaign rally ahead of the midterm elections. Tyson predicted that Trump would lead the Republican Party to victory in the upcoming vote.

Commentary: Trump and Mike Tyson have long been personal acquaintances. Having originated from the world of reality television, Trump is adept at leveraging celebrity presence to energize rallies, transforming them into high-profile events with strong entertainment value. He frequently invites figures from sports and business to appear alongside him, capitalizing on their established visibility to generate online buzz. This strategy effectively captures attention from voters disengaged by traditional policy debates—particularly among working-class and grassroots supporters, for whom Tyson’s image as a rugged, no-nonsense figure carries significant resonance. The White House Communications Director’s deliberate use of the iconic "biting the ear" anecdote serves as a calculated form of cultural referencing, designed to produce shareable, lighthearted content ideal for rapid dissemination across short-form video platforms and social media.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878626578551817/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.