Jesse Ventura

At 72 years old, Jesse Ventura has this physical status:

Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American media comedian, writer, retired professional wrestler, and former Minnesota politician who served as the Mayor of Brooklyn Park from 1993 to 1995 and as the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003.

He was the first and only candidate of the Reform Party to win a major government role. During the Vietnam War, Ventura served with the US Navy Underwater Demolition Team.

He began working in wrestling from 1975 to 1986, adopting the ring name Jesse "The Body" Ventura.

He was active in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as a wrestler and color commentator, and was inducted into the 2004 WWE Hall of Fame class.

Ventura pursued acting in films including Predator and The Running Man (both 1987). Ventura became involved in politics in 1991 as the mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a post he held until 1995.

Ventura was the Reform Party nominee in the Minnesota gubernatorial election of 1998, based on grassroots causes and rare advertisements that encouraged people not to "vote for politics as normal."

Ventura's campaign was unexpectedly fruitful, with him barely defeating both the Democratic and Republican candidates.

Ventura, Minnesota's first elected official to win an election on a Reform Party ticket, resigned a year after taking office amid internal fights for control over the party.

Other items under Ventura include the building of the METRO Blue Line light rail in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area, as well as income tax reforms.

Ventura resigned in 2003 after being unable to run for re-election.

Ventura became a visiting fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government after leaving office in 2004.

Since being host of several television shows and having written several political books, he has since been involved in several television shows as well as writing several political books.

Ventura is still politically active, and On Ora TV and On RT America, Off the Grid hosts a show called Off the Grid.

Ventura is currently hosting The World According to Jesse, a RT news show on RT.

Ventura has consistently stated that whether you're looking for President of the United States on a third party or an independent ticket.

Early life

James George Janos, a child of George William Janos and his wife, Bernice Martha (née Lenz), was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 15, 1951. Both his parents were World War II veterans. Ventura has an older brother who served in the Vietnam War. Ventura has referred to himself as Slovak because his father's grandparents were from Hungary's Kingdom of Hungary; his mother was of German descent. Ventura was born as a Lutheran. He was born in South Minneapolis "by the Lake Street Bridge" and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1969 and attended Cooper Elementary School, Sanford Junior High School. In September 2014, Roosevelt High School inducted Ventura into its first hall of honors.

Ventura served in the US Navy from December 1, 1969, to September 10, 1975, during the Vietnam War, but never saw combat. He graduated in BUD/S class 58 in December 1970 and was a member of Underwater Demolition Team 12.

In public remarks and debates, Ventura has often referred to his military service. In a 2001 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, hunters and conservationists chastised him for saying, "You haven't hunted men until you have hunted guys."

Ventura began to spend time with the Mongols motorcycle club's "South Bay" chapter in San Diego near the end of his Navy service. On his Harley-Davidson in Mongol colors, he will ride into Naval Base Coronado. Ventura said he was a full-patch member and third-in-command of his chapter, but he had no issues with the police. Ventura departed the bike club in 1974 in the fall of 1974 to return to the Twin Cities. The Mongols launched open combat against their biker rivals, the Hells Angels, just short of finishing.

In suburban Minneapolis in the mid-1970s, Ventura attended North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He began weightlifting and wrestling at the same time. For a time before he entered professional wrestling and adopted the wrestling name Jesse Ventura, he was a bodyguard for The Rolling Stones.

Personal life

Ventura married Terry, his wife Terry on July 18, 1975, three days after his 24th birthday. The couple have two children, Tyrel, a film and television producer, and Jade, their daughter. Ventura never waved goodbye to "Terry, Tyrel, and Jade back in Minneapolis" during his annual festival despite the exception of the first two WrestleManias. Tyrel was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004, and he served on Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, including as an investigator in the show's third season.

Ventura and his wife split their time between White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Ventura has said of his time in Mexico: "It's your life in Mexico."

Ventura used anabolic steroids during his collegiate days. After removing from sport, he confessed to making public service announcements and being on posters alerting young people of the risks and potential health risks of using steroids.

Ventura was hospitalized in 2002 for a serious blood clot in his lungs, which was the same kind of injury that ended his wrestling career.

Ventura has said he was baptized a Lutheran.

Ventura claimed in a NBC News interview that he was baptized a Lutheran, but he later emerged as an atheist on The Joe Rogan Experience. "Organized faith is a sham and a crutch for poor-minded people who need strength in numbers," Ventura said in a Playboy interview. People should get out and stick their noses in other people's company, not to mention being jerks in another's industry, according to the newspaper. I live by the golden rule: Treat others as you would like them to be treated. "The religious right is determined to show people how to live," the religious right claims. Ventura's 1999 best-selling book I Ain't Got Time to Bleed spoke out about the controversy triggered by these remarks by elaborating on his faith:

Ventura said on The Howard Stern Show in April 2011 that he is an atheist and that his convictions would disqualify him from office." "I don't believe you can be an atheist and accept it and get elected in our country." Ventura said religion is the "root of all evil" in a CNN interview in October 2010, remarking that "any war is fought over faith."

Ventura, as governor, promoted equal rights for religious minorities, as well as those who do not believe in God, by announcing "Indivisible Day" on July 4, 2002. In Minnesota, he inadvertently declared October 13-19, 2002 "Christian Heritage Week" from October 13-19.

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Professional wrestling career

Ventura created Jesse "The Body" Ventura to represent a sarcastic beach bodybuilder, opting for the word "Ventura" from a map as part of his "bleach blond from California" gimmick. Ventura, a wrestler, was often described as a loser and had to lose if you must, but always cheat! "I emblazoned on his t-shirts." Superstar Billy Graham, a charismatic and well-known performer in the 1970s, influenced a large portion of his flamboyant image. Ventura made a running joke out of alleging that Graham stole all of his wedding attire suggestions from him years later as a broadcaster.

Ventura made his central US debut in 1975 before heading to the Pacific Northwest, where he defeated promoter Don Owen as Jesse "The Greatest" Ventura. During his time in Portland, Oregon, he had a series of feuds with Dutch Savage and Jimmy Snuka, winning the Pacific Northwest Wrestling championship twice (once from each wrestler) and the tag team title five times (twice each with Bull Ramos and "Playboy" Buddy Rose, and once with Jerry Oates). In 1979, he moved to Minnesota, where the American Wrestling Association in Minnesota, where he began working with Adrian Adonis as the "East-West Connection." He revealed in his RF Video shoot in 2012 that he discovered that Verne Gagne gave him the name "the Body" right away after he joined the AWA. When Gagne, one-half of the tag team champions alongside Mad Dog Vachon, failed to turn up in Denver, Colorado, the pair won the AWA World Tag Team Championship on July 20, 1980 on a forfeit. The pair dominated for almost a year before losing to "The High Flyers" (Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell).

The pair then moved to the World Wrestling Federation, where they were ruled by Freddie Blassie shortly after losing the belts. Despite the fact that the pair was unable to qualify for the World Tag Team Championship, Adonis and Ventura became singles champions, with each having multiple championship shots at World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund.

Ventura continued to wrestle until September 1984 after losing by three back-to-back defeats to world champion Hulk Hogan, who died in his lungs, effectively ending his in-ring career. During his time in Vietnam, he said that the clots were a result of his contact with Agent Orange. Ventura returned to the ring in 1985, forming a tag-team with Randy Savage and Savage's chief (and real-life spouse) Miss Elizabeth. Ventura taunted and chastised fellow commentator Bruno Sammartino regularly after their televised matches, but no one ever accused them of this.

In December 1985, Ventura's Roddy Piper and Bob Orton defeated Hillbilly Jim, Uncle Elmer, and Cousin Luke in a match broadcast on Saturday Night's Main Event IV. The Hillbillies were defeated after Piper and Orton interrupted Elmer's wedding reception on the previous edition of the show; Ventura, who later claimed that he had been under pressure from fellow commentator Vince McMahon to "bury them," insulted Elmer and his wife during the show's narrative, proclaiming when they kissed: "It seems like two carp in the middle of the Mississippi River going after the same piece of corn." The wedding was real, according to Ventura, because the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board did not allow the WWF to stage a fake wedding in the state of New Jersey at the time, so Stan Frazier (Uncle Elmer) and his fiancee had agreed to have a real in-ring wedding.

Ventura hosted his own talk segment on the WWF's Superstars of Wrestling, "The Body Shop," in much the same heel style as "Piper's Pit," although the venue was a mock gym (when Ventura was out, Don Muraco's "The Body Shop" was often hosted by Don Muraco). He began doing color commentary on television for All-Star Wrestling, replacing Angelo Mosca and later Superstars of Wrestling, first with Vince McMahon and the semi-retired Sammartino, and then with McMahon after Sammartino's retirement from the WWF in early 1988. Ventura co-hosted Saturday Night's main event with McMahon, the first six WrestleManias (five of whom were alongside Gorilla Monsoon), and the bulk of the WWF's pay-per-views at the time, with Ventura being the first SummerSlam in which he served as the guest referee during the main event.

Ventura's amusing commentary style was a retort of his wrestling persona, i.e. A "heel" who was partial to the villains, something new and different at the time. McMahon, a lifelong fan of jazzing up, came up with the prospect of Ventura's heel commentary at a time when most commentators, including McMahon himself, favored the fan favorites.

Ventura also gave credit where it was due, celebrating the athleticism of fan favorites such as Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage, who was championed by Ventura for years even before he was a star, a point where Ventura regularly made on-air to McMahon and Monsoon. On occasion, Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart will admit mistakes made by the heels, even those made by his personal favorites, such as Savage or wrestlers managed by heels.

The WrestleMania VI Ultimate Challenge title for championship match between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and the WWF Intercontinental Champion, The Ultimate Warrior, was one notable exception to this rule. Ventura took a neutral role in his commentary, even praising Hogan's display of sportsmanship at the conclusion of the match when he handed over the WWF Championship belt to the Warrior after he lost the match, saying that Hogan would go out like a true champion. Ventura did enjoy the match but also during the last match at Wrestlemania, he called, when both broke the rules, saying, "This is what I like." Let the two goody twoshoes get in trouble by throwing the rule book out and getting wild. Ventura's laud of Hogan's performances was rare for him, because he rooted against Hogan during his matches, often telling fellow commentator Monsoon that after Hogan triumphed a championship match at a Wrestlemania that he should "come out of retirement and knock this dude out."

Hogan and Ventura were at one point close friends, but Ventura broke it in 1994 after Hogan discovered, during his appeal against McMahon, that he had told McMahon about Ventura's effort to establish a labour union before WrestleMania 2. The WWF owner removed Ventura from the company in August 1990 following a dispute with McMahon over the use of his image for advertising a Sega product, though McMahon had a deal with rival firm Nintendo at the time.

Ventura also worked as a radio announcer for a handful National Football League clubs, including the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ventura joined World Championship Wrestling as a commentator in February 1992 at SuperBrawl II. Although WCW Worldwide TV taping at Disney MGM Studios in July 1994, WCW President Eric Bischoff ultimately released him for allegedly falling asleep during a WCW Worldwide TV taping at the studio in July 1994, it has been speculated that the move may have had more to do with Hogan's arrival shortly before.

Ventura renounced his right to royalties on videotape sales in 1987, when he was incorrectly told that only feature actors were entitled to such royalties. Ventura brought an action against Titan Sports in November 1991, after finding that other non-feature artists were compensated royalties, misappropriation of public knowledge, and quantum meruit in Minnesota state court, demanding for $2 million in royalties based on a fair market value share. Titan brought the lawsuit to federal court, but Ventura obtained an $801,333 jury verdict on the last claim. In addition, the judge gave him $8,625 in back pay for all non-video WWF merchandising starring Ventura. The decision was upheld on appeal, and the fact, 65 F.3d 725 (8th Cir.1995), is a major development in the law of restitution. Ventura's commentary has been taken down on most WWE Home Video broadcasts as a result.

Ventura appeared on WWF television during his tenure as governor of Minnesota in mid-1999, as the sole guest referee for the main event of SummerSlam held in Minneapolis. Ventura's short-lived XFL extended his involvement with the WWF by giving commentary for Vince McMahon's short-lived XFL. On the June 4, 2001 episode of Raw, which aired live from Minnesota, Daniel McMahon appeared to overrule McMahon's authority and approve a WWF Championship match between then-champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Jericho. Ventura appeared on SmackDown's episode on March 20, 2003, to discuss McMahon's match against Hogan. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 13, 2004, and the following night at WrestleMania XX, he approached the ring to interview Donald Trump, who was in front-row seats to the event. If Ventura were to ever reenter politics, Trump promised that he would receive his moral and financial assistance. "I think we should have put a wrestler in the White House in 2008," Ventura said in a tweet. Ventura was guest host on the November 23, 2009, episode of Raw, in which he stayed true to his heel by supporting Sheamus over WWE Champion John Cena. This happened while Cena complained about how it was unfair that Cena never got a championship shot in the WWE, while Ventura never did during his WWE career. Sheamus then assaulted Cena and took him by a table. At TLC, Ventura made the match a Table match: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. McMahon joined Ventura ringside to provide match commentary together on the show for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Acting career

Ventura began acting after his wrestling career ended. He appeared in the film Predator (1987), which starred future California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sonny Landham, a gubernatorial candidate from Kentucky. During the manufacturing of Predator, Ventura became close friends with Schwarzenegger. In 1991, he appeared in two episodes of Zorro filmed in Madrid, Spain. In 1989 sci-fi film Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, he appeared. He appeared in The Running Man, Thunderground, Demolition Man, Repossessed, Ricochet, The Master of Disguise (in which he steals the Liberty Bell), and Batman & Robin, the first and last of these films starring Schwarzenegger. "White Lightning" was Ventura's first appearance in Major League II as "White Lightning." In The Ringer, he portrayed himself as a self-help guru, vowing to make Johnny Knoxville a more effective employee. Ventura appeared in "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" as a Man in Black alongside fellow 'MiB' Alex Trebek. Ventura appeared as Mr. Madson, a high school shop instructor, in the 2008 independent comedy Woodshop. The film was released on September 7, 2010.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, Ventura served as a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. "He's done us proud, hasn't he?" Mick Jagger said of Ventura. He's been amazing."

Ventura became part of a line of Miller Lite commercials in the 1980s.

Ventura co-hosted the four episodes of DiC Entertainment children's series Record Breakers: World of Speed with Gary Apple in 1989. Ventura and Roddy Piper appeared in 1991, the pilot episode for Tag Team, a television series devoted to two former wrestlers turned police officers.

Along with sportscaster Steve Albert, Ventura co-hosted the short-lived syndicated game show The Grudge Match.

Ventura's radio call-in shows on KFAN 1130 and KSTP 1500 in Minneapolis–Saint Paul were present between 1995 and 1998. In 1999, he appeared on The Young and the Restless, a television soap opera.

The media has chastised Ventura for profiting from his heightened fame. During his tenure as governor, he was hired as a television analyst for the failed XFL football league in 2001 and appeared as a referee at a WWF SummerSlam match in 1999 and wrote many books during his tenure as governor. He often criticized the media for focusing on these issues rather than his policy suggestions on his weekly radio show.

TruTV aired three seasons of Jesse Ventura's television series Conspiracy Theory from 2009 to 2012.

On Nickelodeon, Ventura appeared on a segment of the 2012 rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated film.

Ventura's new show, Jesse Ventura: Uncensored, was launched on January 27, 2014, and later renamed Off the Grid, and it aired on Ora TV, a subscription television video on demand network founded by Larry King.

Ventura became the host of the show According to Jesse on RT America in 2017, when RT programming commenced by its production partner Ora TV was suspended following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On March 3, 2022, RT America's operations in the United States halted operations.

Political career

Ventura took a former high school teacher's recommendation and ran for mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, 1990, after his retirement from the WWF. He deposed the city's 25-year incumbent mayor and served from 1991 to 1995.

Ventura ran for governor of Minnesota in 1998 as a member of the Reform Party of Minnesota (he later joined the Freedom Party of Minnesota after the Reform Party split from its relationship with the Reform Party of the United States of America). His campaign consisted of a combination of activist grassroots campaigns coordinated by his campaign manager Doug Friedline's team and original television spots created by quirky adman Bill Hillsman, who said, "Don't vote for politics as usual." He spent considerably less than his opponents (about $300,000) and was a pioneer in the use of the Internet as a means of reaching out to voters in a political campaign.

He won the election in November 1998, barely and unexpectedly defeating the major party candidates, Republican St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman, and Democratic-Labor Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III. Ventura proclaimed, "We shocked the world" during his victory address. In Minnesota, bumper stickers and T-shirts with the phrase "My governor will beat up your governor" appeared following his recall. "Jesse 'The Mind'" (from a last-minute Hillsman ad starring Ventura posing as Rodin's Thinker) began to surface sarcastically in reference to his often divisive remarks. "Jesse 'The Body'" on Ventura's old stage name (sometimes shortened to "Jesse 'The Governing Body)" (sometimes translated to "Jesse 'The Body') also started to appear with some regularity.

Ventura revealed that he would not seek a second term after heading to China in 2002, saying he no longer felt committed enough to his work and accusing the media of hounding him and his family for personal conduct and beliefs while neglecting coverage of critical policy topics. He told a Boston Globe reporter that if he had been single, he might have run for a second term, quoting the media's effect on his family's life.

When ventura's term came to an end, he suggested that he resign from office early to allow his lieutenant governor, Mae Schunk, a chance to serve as governor. He also stated that he needed her to be the state's first female governor and have her portrait drawn and hung in the Capitol with the other governors. Ventura quickly retorted from the remarks, saying he was just passing an idea.

Ventura has frequently stated that he did not have a strong opinion on particular policy issues in political debates. He has often referred to himself as "fiscally conservative and socially liberal." Mae Schunk, a retired teacher, was his running mate.

Ventura's legislative aspirations were unlikely to be introduced as bills due to a lack of a party base in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate. In his first year, he vetoed 45 bills, only three of which were overturned. In his fourth and final year, when six of his nine vetoes were reversed, his reputation was boosted. Nonetheless, Ventura's plans were fruitful. One of the most notable was the decrease in sales tax; during his tenure, Minnesotans received a tax-free check in the late summer. At the time, the state was running a budget surplus, and Ventura felt that the funds should be returned.

Later, Ventura came to endorse a unicameral (one-house) legislature, property tax reform, gay rights, medical marijuana, and abortion rights. Although supporting public school education generously, he opposes the teachers' union and does not have a positive opinion for higher education institutions.

In an interview with Howard Stern, he reiterated his support for gay rights, including marriage and military service, while also mentioning that homosexuals would have enjoyed more competition for women. Ventura said later this week, on the subject of a Minnesota referendum on amending the Minnesota Constitution to prohibit gay marriage, "I certainly hope that people do not amend our constitution to prevent gay marriage because, first, the law is there to shield people, not abuse them."

Ventura strongly argued for land-use reform and major mass transit improvements, such as light rail, during the first part of his administration.

During another trade mission to Cuba in 2002, he condemned the US embargo against Cuba, saying that the embargo affected the Cuban public more than its government.

Senator Paul Wellstone's, his family, and others who died in a plane crash on October 25, 2002, Ventura strongly condemned some of the activities at the 2002 memorial to Senator Paul Wellstone, his family, and others who died in a plane crash. "I feel valued," Ventura said. The fact that the memorial service turned into a political rally has made me feel humiliated and insulted. He was disengaged halfway through Wellstone's best friend, Rick Kahn's, tumultuous address. Ventura had hoped to appoint a Democrat to Wellstone's seat in the Senate, but instead, Dean Barkley was appointed to represent Minnesota in the Senate until Wellstone's term ended in January 2003. Barkley was replaced by Norm Coleman, who took over Walter Mondale's seat against Walter Mondale, who had ruled Wellstone as the Democratic nominee a few days before the election.

Ventura, who ran on a Reform Party ticket and pushed for a larger presence for third parties in American politics, is highly critical of both Democrats and Republicans. Both groups have been labeled "monsters that are out of control," with only concern for "their own agendas and their pork."

Ventura is a radical centrist thinker and activist, according to author John Avlon's book Independent Nation.

Ventura catered for outrage after the legislature refused to raise funds for protection, but the governor's mansion during his tenure, opting instead to shut it down and remain at his house in Maple Grove.

A group of dissatisfied citizens petitioned to recall Governor Ventura in 1999, alleging, among other things, that "the use of state security troops to shield the governor during a book promotion tour was unlawful use of state property." "It's for personal gain." The amended petition was dismissed by order of the Chief Justice of Minnesota. The Chief Justice must examine recall petitions for legal legitimacy, and the Chief Justice found that it did not prosecute any act that violated Minnesota legislation. Ventura incurred attorney's fees as a result of the submitting of a frivolous petition for recall, but the claim was refused on the ground that there was no statutory authority for such a decision.

Ventura was also chastised for mishandling the Minnesota state budget, with Minnesota state economist Tom Stinson noting that the statewide capital increase went from $9 billion to $4 billion between 2000 and 2001. Ventura had vetoed this budget, but the state legislature overruled him. CNN journalist Matthew Cooper exploited Ventura's poor handling of the Minnesota state budget in 2002. Minnesota had a $4.2 billion budget deficit when Ventura took power in 2003, compared to the $3 billion budget surplus when Ventura took office in 1999.

Ventura held a press conference in November 2011 in connection with a case he had brought against the Transportation Security Administration. During the press conference, he said he would "never stand for a national anthem again." I'll change my back and raise a fist the same way Tommy Smith and John Carlos did in the '68 Olympics.' Jesse Ventura will do that today."

Ventura drew frequent criticism from the Twin Cities press during his tenure as governor. He branded journalists "media jackals," a term that also appeared on the press passes that were allowed to enter his news area. Me: Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente, a self-aggrandizing former "Navy W.A.L.R.U.S., Shortly after Ventura's election as governor, author, and humorist Garrison Keillor, wrote a satirical book about him, shortly after Ventura's election as governor, author, and comedian Garrison Keillor. (Water Air Land is Increasing Suddenly)" A professional wrestler and politician, turned politician, became a protester and politician. Ventura initially reacted angrily to the satire, but Keillor later said that the "makes Minnesota proud." Ventura appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, in which he retorted an ambiguously to the following question: "So which is the better city of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, or St." "Paul?" says the narrator. "Minneapolis," Ventura said. Those streets in St. Paul must have been arranged by inebriated Irishmen." He later apologised for the remark, saying that it was not meant to be taken seriously.

Although Ventura hasn't been governor since the end of his term as governor in 2003, he has continued to campaign for political office and has occasionally mentioned running for governor. Ventura said in a CNN's The Situation Room interview on April 7, 2008, he was considering entering the race for the United States Senate seat that had previously been held by Norm Coleman, his Republican adversary in the 1998 gubernatorial election. In a hypothetical three-way election, a Fox 9 poll put him at 24 percent, behind Democratic nominee Al Franken at 32% and Coleman at 39 percent. Ventura said on Larry King Live on July 14, 2008, he did not run, partly out of fear for his family's privacy. Franken won the election by a slim margin.

Ventura's 1999 autobiography In his book I Ain't Got Time to Bleed, Ventura said he did not intend to run for president of the United States but did not rule it out. While receiving an award from the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa, in 2003, he expressed an interest in running for president. On September 2, 2008, Ron Paul, the Republican presidential candidate, appeared at Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's "Rally for the Republic," which was hosted by the Campaign for Liberty, hinting at a potential bid for president. Ventura said at the end of his address that if the public was keen to see a change in the country's course, then "we'll have a race they'll never forget" in 2012. Ventura expressed interest in running with Ron Paul in the 2012 presidential election if Paul were to run as an outsider. Ventura announced on November 4, 2011 at a press conference about the dismissal of his court case against the Transportation Security Administration for what he said were illegal searches of air travelers that he was "thinking about" running for president. According to reports, the Libertarian Party members had attempted to persuade Ventura to run for president on a Libertarian ticket, but party chairman Mark Hinkle said, "Jesse is more interested in 2016 than he was in 2012. I agree he is serious, but I suspect he is serious. I think Ron Paul, a Libertarian, would be interested in running as a vice president. "If I run as the vice presidential nominee under Ron Paul in 2012, I may run as a presidential nominee in 2016," he says.

Ventura's David Gewirtz of ZDNet said in a November 2011 story that he thought he would win if he declared his intention to run and ran a serious campaign, but that it would be a long shot. Ventura openly discussed the possibility of running as a Libertarian in 2016, but let his self-imposed deadline of May 1 pass. In 2016, Trump's running mate or Bernie Sanders' running mate, he also expressed an interest in becoming either Donald Trump's running mate or Bernie Sanders' running mate. Ventura tried to officially endorse Sanders, but his endorsement was turned down. "Johnson is a very viable option," Ventura said of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee, adding, "This year for a third-party candidate to climb if there ever was one." In the general election, he voted for Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee.

Ventura expressed an interest in running for president again in 2020, but said he would do so under the Green Party banner only. "The [Green Party] has demonstrated some care." I haven't made a decision right now because it's a long time coming. If I do it, Trump will not have a chance. For one, Trump knows wrestling. He competed in two WrestleManias. He knows he can never out-talk a wrestler, and he knows I'm the best talker wrestling's ever had."

Ventura sent a letter of interest to the Green Party Presidential Support Committee on April 27, 2020, the first step towards seeking the Green Party's presidential nomination. He declared in May that he would not run for election due to health issues and that he would not pursue his employer-provided health-care.

Ventura said he would write in his own name in the presidential race but that he would vote for Democrats in down-ballot campaigns. "Refuse[s] to vote for "the lesser of two evils," he said because, in the end, he's still choosing evil." Ventura received seven presidential delegate votes at the 2020 Green National Convention, having been given them by write-in votes in the 2020 Green primaries. Despite the national Green Party's nominating Howie Hawkins for president and Angela Nicole Walker for vice president, the Green Party of Alaska nominated Ventura and former Senator Cynthia McKinney without Ventura's permission. The Alaska popular vote went to Ventura and McKinney.

You know?

Ventura's latest book Don't Start the Revolution Without Me, a novel published in April and May 2008, vented dissatisfied with what he calls unanswered questions about 9/11. Following some of the interviews, Mike's remarks about the possibility that the World Trade Center was demolished with explosives were repeated in newspaper and television news.

When Fox News' Sean Hannity asked George W. Bush how he'd avoid the September 11 attacks, Ventura replied, "You're right, you pay attention to memos on August 6th that announce exactly what bin Laden will do."

Ventura said on April 9, 2011, when CNN's Piers Morgan of CNN asked Ventura for his official view of 9/11, "Our interpretation of 9/11 is that we certainly—at the highest we knew it was going to happen." They allowed it to happen in the Middle East to advance their Middle East campaign and escalate to these wars."

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