By Keith Idec
Don King doesn’t occupy the prominent place in boxing he held for the better parts of four decades, but the flamboyant promoter still knows how to attract a lot of attention.
The legendary King appeared publicly with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday night in Florida. King and Trump spent several minutes answering questions from reporters at the entrance of the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, a members-only hotel and resort owned by Trump.
“You all know Don King,” Trump told assembled media at the start of his longest question-and-answer session with reporters since election day last month. “Who doesn’t know Don King?”
The 85-year-old King, who was one of Trump’s strongest supporters among celebrities throughout his highly controversial campaign, added, “It’s good to be an American. And now, with our leader, it’s a new day. Make America great again.”
An unidentified reporter then asked King, who was holding and waving American and Israeli flags as he stood beside Trump, “Is your Israeli flag a message for the president [Barack Obama]?”
King responded, “The Israeli flag is about peace. Peace in the Middle East. [Late president of Israel] Shimon Peres and [former Ambassador of Israel] Uri Savir made me the peace ambassador. And so we want everyone to come together as one unit and make things happen. And he’s the leader that can make it happen.”
King wore a pin bearing Trump’s picture, two large diamond necklaces, one with the American flag and another with the Star of David, and his trademark denim jacket with the American flag on it.
Trump proceeded to answer numerous questions on topics including improving healthcare for veterans, job creation, the alleged Russian intervention in the November 8 presidential election in the United States and divulging details about his vast business interests.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.