Oscar De La Hoya says he wants to run for president
Oscar De La Hoya says he might run against President Donald Trump in 2020. The boxer told reporters on Tuesday that he began dreaming about the White House "many years" ago, per the Los Angeles Times.
While promoting a middleweight title rematch in Las Vegas, De La Hoya said of the idea of running for president: "It's real … that's the beauty of our nation."
He continued, "If Arnold [Schwarzenegger] can be governor, if Trump can be president, then why can't a Mexican American who won an Olympic gold medal, who's over 35 and a U.S. citizen run for president?"
De La Hoya said he'd run as a Democrat.
He said, "As I got older, I get wiser and as I get wiser, I get smarter, and as I get smarter, I start to realize the millions and millions of people who've told me, 'Oscar, why don't you run for some kind of office? … . Because you can make a difference,'" reports the Los Angeles Times.
De La Hoya has a documented beef with Mr. Trump. In 2016, he claimed that Mr. Trump cheated in golf during a 2014 match. He said Mr. Trump hit several drives that disappeared and then claimed that he found the ball in the middle of the fairway. Then he said Mr. Trump hit the ball into bushes and claimed again to find it a few feet away from the hole.
De La Hoya said, "I'm not [voting] for someone who cheats in golf."
It's yet to be seen how serious De La Hoya is about running for office; he added about his potential run, "It's very preliminary … let's talk boxing."
The Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Fame fighter has had his fair share of unflattering headlines. He was arrested last January for a suspected DUI, but charges were dismissed. In 2011, he checked himself into rehab for substance abuse issues.
