President-elect Trump attends UFC championship battle at Madison Sq. Backyard

MIDTOWN, Manhattan — 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 evening, 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 Unhealthy Ass.”

UFC aired a video bundle of Trump’s street to reclaiming the White Home, calling it, “The good comeback in American Historical past,” whereas followers stood and applauded. Trump, sporting a crimson tie, pumped his fist towards the gang when the video ended.

The president-elect additionally had his clenched fists pumping forwards and backwards and briefly danced to the Village Individuals’s “YMCA” simply outdoors the cage. He later once more thrust his fist skyward as “Takin’ Care of Enterprise” performed.

Elon Musk, picked by Trump to guide 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 guide the Division of Well being 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 does not even start to explain” the scene earlier than later proclaiming, “47’s within the constructing. Let’s go.”

The MSG crowd chanted “USA! USA!” proper earlier than the primary card was about to begin after which once more all through the motion. After a yr 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.

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 seemed 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 sometimes 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 exhibit 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 triggered an uproar at a Trump rally final month by likening Puerto Rico to a “floating island of rubbish.” But Trump continues to relish visits to New York, the place he lived for many years, earlier than transferring to his Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Seashore, Florida.

Trump’s son, Don Jr., additionally attended the battle.

Apart from a day journey to Washington this week to fulfill for practically two hours with President Joe Biden, and individually tackle 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 20 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 just lately 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 Occasion during the last near-decade, White’s private political profile has grown exponentially. White spoke on the 2016 and 2020 Republican conventions, and when the get together gathered in Milwaukee this previous July. He additionally addressed the gang at Trump’s Florida victory get together within the wee hours of the morning after Election Day.

“That is what occurs when the machine comes after you,” White mentioned then. “What you’ve got seen during the last a number of years, that is what it seems to be like: could not cease him. He retains going ahead. He does not give up.”

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