Introduction:
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was also a black belt and martial arts expert
Donald Trump had one question when he was made aware of Elvis Presley’s karate expertise.
On Monday, March 23, the 79-year-old president visited Graceland, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s former home and final resting place in Memphis, Tenn. The estate now operates as a museum and tribute to Presley, attracting visitors from all over the world.
While there, Trump spoke with some of the museum’s employees, one of whom informed the president that Presley possessed multiple black belts.
“Was he really good or was it just…” the president asked about Presley’s skills as a fighter. He interrupted the expert’s response to ask, “Could I have taken him in a fight?”
“I don’t know; you might,” the woman said. Another man added, “I think he would have been respectful enough to let you win.”
While he’s best known for his contributions to the music world, the Graceland employees credited Presley and Bruce Lee with helping to popularize karate in the United States.
The rock star’s love of martial arts was so well known that Graceland organized a “King of Karate” exhibit in 2021.
“Elvis was first exposed to Karate in 1958 after he was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany. His first instructor was a German shotokan stylist named Juergen Seydel, who taught Elvis at his off-base housing in Nauheim until 1958. Elvis developed a passion for Karate, which continued throughout his life,” a description of the event on the museum’s website reads.
Per the description, Presley was awarded his first-degree black belt in 1960. He received his seventh-degree black belt in 1973 and his eighth-degree black belt the following year.
While a black belt is a symbol of mastery of karate, there are actually different levels of black belts that are given out to more experienced martial artists. Presley reached the eighth out of nine levels.
Presley’s affection for karate was so deep that he opened the Tennessee Karate Institute in Memphis in 1974, just a few years before his death at age 42 in 1977. The institute is still training fighters to this day.
This marked Trump’s first visit to Graceland. While there, he confessed to being a “big fan of Elvis,” asking, “Who isn’t?”
While Trump has never formally trained in the martial arts, the president was awarded an honorary ninth-degree black belt, CNN reported in 2021.