NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump walked out to a roaring standing ovation simply forward of the beginning of the UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Sq. Backyard on Saturday night time, combining two issues near his coronary heart: fierce battles contained in the octagon and New York Metropolis.
Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats to Child Rock’s “American Bad Ass.”
UFC aired a video package deal of Trump’s street to reclaiming the White Home, calling it, “The great comeback in American History,” whereas followers stood and applauded. Trump, sporting a purple tie, pumped his fist towards the group when the video ended.
The president-elect additionally had his clenched fists pumping backwards and forwards and briefly danced to the Village Folks’s “YMCA” simply exterior the cage. He later once more thrust his fist skyward as “Takin’ Care of Business” performed.
Elon Musk, picked by Trump to steer a brand new Division of Authorities Effectivity, and Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined the president-elect and White on the Backyard, as did Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s alternative to steer the Division of Health and Human Companies in his incoming administration.
Trump shook arms with the UFC broadcast group that included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours within the remaining levels of the marketing campaign forward of his election win final week. The announcers for the pay-per-view viewers later declared, “Festive doesn’t even begin to describe” the scene earlier than later proclaiming, “47’s in the building. Let’s go.”
The MSG crowd chanted “USA! USA!” proper earlier than the primary card was about to start out after which once more all through the motion. After a 12 months delay, Stipe Miocic is getting his shot at a 3rd heavyweight championship reign when he battles present champion Jon Jones in the primary occasion at UFC 309.
Jeff Bottari by way of Getty Photos
Trump is a longtime UFC fanatic and frequent attendee of main fights. He made selling hypermasculine tones a signature of his marketing campaign — as he regarded to additional widen the hole amongst male voters between himself and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump and his high supporters embraced alpha-male phrases and infrequently accentuated them with vulgar and demeaning language.
Whereas campaigning, Trump appeared steadily on podcasts, gaming platforms, and with key supporters who described a vote for Trump as a solution to display true manliness. Whereas Trump taped a podcast with Rogan, who himself has spoken about hypermasculinity, Harris didn’t do an identical look, citing scheduling conflicts.
A return to Madison Sq. Backyard means revisiting the place the place a comic precipitated an uproar at a Trump rally final month by likening Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.” But Trump continues to relish visits to New York, the place he lived for many years, earlier than shifting to his Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Seaside, Florida.
Trump’s son, Don Jr., additionally attended the combat.
Aside from a day journey to Washington this week to fulfill for almost two hours with President Joe Biden, and individually handle Home Republicans, Trump has been spending his time since his Election Day victory at Mar-a-Lago. The membership has hosted galas and conservative occasions all through the week.
Trump has been near White for greater than twenty years.
White hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey, and Trump has steadily attended UFC matches since – together with throughout his 2024 marketing campaign. Trump has turned up at fights not too long ago with well-known entourages, together with White, musician Child Rock and former Fox Information Channel host Tucker Carlson.
In 2018, throughout Trump’s first time period, he and White starred in a UFC video the place the then-president was referred to as the “Combatant In Chief.”
As Trump has strengthened his grip on the nationwide Republican Get together over the past near-decade, White’s private political profile has grown exponentially. White spoke on the 2016 and 2020 Republican conventions, and when the occasion gathered in Milwaukee this previous July. He additionally addressed the group at Trump’s Florida victory occasion within the wee hours of the morning after Election Day.
“This is what happens when the machine comes after you,” White stated then. “What you’ve seen over the last several years, this is what it looks like: couldn’t stop him. He keeps going forward. He doesn’t quit.”
Democracy In The Steadiness
Already contributed? Log in to cover these messages.
Weissert reported from Palm Seaside, Florida.
