Just weeks after holding a historic rally inside the “world's most famous arena,” Donald Trump made his triumphant return to Madison Square Garden as president-elect on Saturday night, to a rousing crowd of fans at UFC 309. It received great applause.
Trump frequently attends UFC events, but this is his first since his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election. The capacity crowd of 19,500 applauded and cheered as he waved to the crowd and entered with UFC boss Dana White.
Expectations that Trump would show up for the fight have been building throughout this week, and those rumors were corroborated by the president-elect's deputy communications director, Margo Martin, who filmed a video of the president-elect boarding a jet for New York.
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FILE – Former President Donald Trump, then Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday, September 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
A photo taken from inside the jet showed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump nominated for secretary of Health and Human Services earlier this week, watching the preliminary battle.
Mr. Kennedy, who started the 2024 campaign as a Democratic candidate, dropped out of the race in August and joined forces with Mr. Trump, becoming a powerful surrogate and aide in the final months of the campaign.
Other key members of the Trump campaign were also in attendance. Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate for early 2024 who withdrew from the race and abandoned his support for Trump, tweeted a photo of himself and Kid Rock at a game at Madison Square Garden. It is not clear whether they traveled with President Trump or separately.
Ramaswamy and Elon Musk have been appointed to head what Team Trump is calling the “Department of Government Efficiency.” The department aims to eradicate trillions of dollars of waste and fraud from the federal budget.
Mr. Trump and Mr. White are longtime friends, with the latter appearing several times during Mr. Trump's campaign leading up to the election.
Donald Trump heads to UFC 309, expected to receive huge cheers after election victory
White said Trump is a “huge fan” of mixed martial arts, but during an interview with TMZ Sports, he declined to discuss rumors of Trump heading to the Garden.
“I think anything is possible,” White said with a smile. “Who knows? He might suddenly appear.”
White added that the majority of his organization's fan base has shown love for Trump over the years.
June 1, 2024. Newark, New Jersey, USA. Former President Donald Trump speaks with UFC President Dana White during the fight between Cesar Almeida (red gloves) and Roman Kopylov (blue gloves) at UFC 302 at Prudential Center. (Joe Campoale-USA TODAY Sports)
“When you think about fighter strikes, every time a fighter leaves the (Octagon) venue, the two biggest people that actually shake up the arena are President Trump and Conor McGregor,” White said. . “It will definitely be fun if he comes (Saturday) night.”
Trump appeared at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for the UFC 302 fight in June, to thunderous applause from the crowd.
Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, returning to the Octagon more than two years since his last fight, is a prominent Trump supporter and wanted to attend.
“I did meet Trump, and he said, 'Either I win the election and I'm going to be there on November 16th, or if I lose, I'm going to be depressed and not come.' “Now that I won, it looks like I'm going to run for office,” Chandler said.
Chandler added that winning the battle in front of Trump would be an “honor.”
Dana White speaks next to Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump during a 2024 U.S. presidential election rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. on November 6, 2024. Mr. Miss. (Brendan McDiarmid/Reuters)
President Trump's Oct. 27 rally at Madison Square Garden was a major event for his campaign, featuring a lineup of speakers comparable to a political convention.
Dozens of elected leaders, Trump's son, Don Jr.; Eric, first lady Melania Trump, Elon Musk and running mate J.D. Vance all spoke before Trump took the stage. The rally was packed, and thousands more supporters gathered in the streets outside the legendary arena.
White also spoke at the MSG rally, warning voters that Harris was a “status quo” for the United States, which he believed was in desperate need of change.
“She can win her party's nomination without ever facing voters,” White said. “What else is there? What can she offer the American people other than vague promises and no plans?
“She talks a lot about the need for change and hope for the future. Hope and change. Does that sound familiar? She can use Obama's old playbook, but she's not Obama and change What she wants, now the sitting vice president of the United States, is for voters to focus on the future, because looking at the past four years, what really needs to change? Because they don't want us to understand.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump raises his fist as he arrives at a campaign event at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, Wednesday, September 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Chandler will be in the co-main event of UFC 309, taking on Charles Oliveira. Jon “Bones” Jones will also enter the Octagon after a long hiatus and will be the clear favorite to win the title over Stipe Miocic.
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