On November 16th, President-elect Trump (Trump) watched the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match at Madison Square Garden in New York. Several important members of Trump’s team, including Tesla’s owner Musk, also watched the match.
UFC’s president Dana White is a close friend of Trump. Trump believes that the fans of this sport are part of his political base. In the world of mixed martial arts, Trump is referred to by some as the “Chief Fighter”.
UFC played a video about Trump’s return to the White House, and the audience stood up and applauded. At the end of the video, Trump, dressed in a suit and red tie, waved and greeted the crowd with a fist pump.
On the evening of the 16th, Trump sat mostly between White and Musk, attentively watching the matches. After the matches ended, he chatted with the fighters.
Trump watched five matches, staying until past 1:30 a.m. When he left the arena, the audience warmly applauded him, standing up in excitement.
Heavy security was present around Madison Square Garden.
The main event of UFC 309 that evening was the heavyweight championship match between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. Ultimately, Jones won the match. He thanked Trump in his victory speech and shook hands with him.
Many important figures and supporters of Trump’s team also watched the matches, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, singer Kid Rock, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated to be the Health Secretary by him, and Turki al-Gabood, nominated to oversee the intelligence department.
Trump flew from Palm Beach Airport on “Trump One” shortly after nightfall and arrived in New York after a two-hour flight. This is the second time Trump has left the Palm Beach area of Florida since winning the presidential election on November 5th.
Currently, he has been busy selecting cabinet members for his second term government at his residence and private club, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach.
(This article refers to reports from Reuters and Associated Press)