Ditka surprised to read that he’ll be at GOP convention with Trump

CHICAGO — A report late Tuesday that Donald Trump is lining up Mike Ditka to make a star appearance at the Republican National Convention came as no surprise to anybody — except Da Coach himself.

While Ditka, 76, has made no secret of his support for presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and Trump has in the past publicly returned the love, the Chicago Bears legend told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday morning: “No one’s ever talked to me about it. I have no idea where it’s coming from.”

Ditka said he first learned of the suggestion that he might appear at the July 18-21 convention in Cleveland in text messages from pals who’d read a Bloomberg story, which cited sources familiar with the Trump campaign’s plans. The story said other retired athletes, including boxer Mike Tyson, would also appear alongside Trump.

Still, Ditka said that “If (Trump) asks me, I’d be happy to do it. I’ve said before that I like him.” He added, “I’m not the type of guy to give a big speech. My speeches are short and to the point.”

He offered a take-it-or-leave-it defense of Trump that would likely appeal to existing supporters but may not sway undecided voters. “If you want good things to happen, you can vote for him, and if you don’t, you don’t,” he said. “But don’t bitch about it after the fact.

“America’s pretty resilient,” he said, adding, in a dig against President Barack Obama: “We’ve survived the last seven years, haven’t we?”

Ditka’s past forays into politics have had mixed results. A self-described “ultra-ultra-ultraconservative,” his prospective run against Obama in Illinois’ 2004 senatorial election never materialized. He backed Democrat Pat Quinn in Quinn’s successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign but switched horses and backed Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2014.

His unexpected support last year for progressive Chicago mayoral candidate Bob Fioretti, however, was not enough to propel Fioretti into the mayor’s office.