Donald Trump: Mike Tyson Was Not Invited to Speak at RNC Convention

Donald Trump rushed to Twitter Tuesday evening to say that he had not, in fact, invited convicted rapist "Iron" Mike Tyson to speak at the Republican National Convention next month, dismissing a report that the former heavyweight champ would be among several sports personalities speaking at the event.

"Iron Mike Tyson was not asked to speak at the Convention though I'm sure he would do a good job if he was," he tweeted. "The media makes everything up!"

Trump was responding to a Bloomberg report earlier on Tuesday saying that Tyson was among the sports stars who would have a speaking role at the July Cleveland convention — a group that reportedly includes ex-Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight and NASCAR chief Brian France. The report did offer the caveat that their roles had not been finalized.

However, Trump made no mention of Ditka, Knight or France, giving the appearance that Tyson is the one singled out. Earlier this month, Trump said he wanted to have a night for sports heroes at the convention. "I'm thinking about getting some of the great sports people I know, who like me a lot," Trump said at a rally in Richmond, Virginia. "We may call it 'The Winners' evening."

Whether or not Tyson was invited to speak at the RNC event, Trump is once again being confronted with his connection to the convicted rapist. Trump and Tyson have been friendly since the 1980s, often appearing in photographs together. After Tyson's 1992 conviction and three year jail sentence for the rape of 18-year-old Desiree Washington, a contestant in the Miss Black America pageant, Trump defended the former heavyweight champ, saying he had been "railroaded."

"You have a young woman that was in his hotel room late in the evening at her own will. You have a young woman seen dancing for the beauty contest — dancing with a big smile on her face, looked happy as can be" Trump said of the case during an interview at the time with NBC News.

"We’re really good friends," Tyson told the Daily Beast in January. "We go back to ’86, ’87. Most of my successful and best fights were at Trump’s hotels. He didn’t manage me, though. He was just helping me with my court case." Tyson also likened himself to Trump, saying, "We're the same guy."

"Balls of energy," Tyson continued. "We're not even who we think we are. We’re fire. We’re made of this crap — water, motion, dirt, diamonds, emeralds. We’re made out of that stuff, can you believe it?”

In April, Trump seemed thrilled to have Tyson's endorsement ahead of the Indiana primary, saying, "Mike Tyson endorsed me. I love it. He sent out a tweet. Mike. Iron Mike. You know, all the tough guys endorse me. I like that, OK?"

Former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina slammed Trump for bragging about his endorsement from Tyson when she was briefly Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's vice presidential pick, saying, "Sorry, I don't consider a convicted rapist a tough guy." She added: "And I think it says a lot about Donald Trump's campaign and his character that he is standing up and cheering for an endorsement by Mike Tyson."

[Photo credit: Eduardo Merille via Flickr Commons]