Miami: President Donald Trump entered to a standing ovation and cheers from a crowd of thousands attending a UFC event Saturday night, shaking hands with supporters against a backdrop of fans waving his trademark MAGA hats.
Just as Trump entered, he greeted podcast host Joe Rogan, who sat to the right of the president.
On the other side of Trump sat Elon Musk, billionaire and chief of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump, who accented his dark suit with a bright yellow tie, pumped his fist in the air, prompting cheers to strains of “Taking Care of Business”.
He brought along several members of his administration and White House team, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House communications aides Steven Cheung and Taylor Budowich.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also joined Trump for UFC 314.
Trump entered the arena with UFC President Dana White, with whom he has been close for decades. He was also accompanied by his granddaughter, Kai Trump, the daughter of Donald Trump Jr.
Throughout the fight, the UFC jumbotron frequently featured the president, drawing roars from the sold-out arena. The crowd periodically cheered “USA,” and Trump briefly danced to the Village People’s “YMCA” standing from his seat, firing up the crowd.
In between fights, Trump would occasionally shake hands with people who approached him and lean in to speak to Musk, who at times held his son on his shoulders.
However, he mostly stayed seated, acknowledging and speaking to fighters who would go against the net to greet the president.
The Republican president is a longtime UFC fan and sports enthusiast who has frequently attended major fights. The mixed martial arts fight at Miami’s Kaseya Centre was Trump’s first UFC visit since he took office in January, and it came weeks after Trump attended the Saudi-sponsored LIV golf tournament at his golf club in Miami.
In a further nod to his sports enthusiasm, Trump has also attended the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500 since taking office. He sat cageside at a UFC championship fight in New York City last November, shortly after he won the 2024 election.
Aside from the president, the main event for the UFC 314 fight is a championship bout between former Australian champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brazilian fighter Diego Lopes, who are competing for the featherweight championship title.
It’s the fourth UFC event in Miami, in a county that supported the president by about 11 percentage points in the November election.
The president arrived in West Palm Beach on Friday for his 10th visit to South Florida since he became president, spending the evening in his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. He flew to Miami after playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach.
“You know who’s going to win? Dana White. Dana White’s gonna win,” Trump told reporters Saturday night aboard Air Force One.
His close affiliation with UFC helped boost his 2024 presidential campaign among young male voters prior to the November election, where he made promoting hypermasculine tones a signature of the campaign.
AP
