President-elect Donald Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation Saturday evening before the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden, combining two things close to his heart: fierce fighting in the Octagon and New York City.
Trump was joined by UFC president Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats to Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass.”
A return to Madison Square Garden meant a visit to the place where a comedian caused a stir at a Trump rally last month by comparing Puerto Rico to a “floating island of trash.” Still, Trump continues to enjoy visits to New York, where he lived for decades before moving to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
UFC aired a video package about Trump’s path to regaining the White House, calling it “The Great Comeback in American History” as fans stood and applauded. Trump, wearing a red tie, pumped his fist at the crowd as the video ended.
The president-elect also waved his clenched fists back and forth and briefly danced to the Village People’s “YMCA” just outside the cage. Later, he raised his fist again as “Takin’ Care of Business” played.
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Elon Musk chosen by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson joined the President-elect and White at the Garden, as did Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his new administration.
Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team, including Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast hours in the final stages of the campaign leading up to his election victory last week. The announcers for the pay-per-view audience later stated, “Festive doesn’t even begin to describe the scene,” before later proclaiming, “47 is in the building. Let’s go.”
The MSG crowd chanted “USA! USA!” right before the main card was about to start and then again during the action. After a one-year postponement, Stipe Miocic gets his shot at a third heavyweight championship when he fights current champion Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 309.
Trump is a long-time UFC enthusiast and frequent participant in major fights. He made promoting hyper-masculine tones a hallmark of his campaign — as he sought to further widen the divide among male voters between himself and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump and his core supporters embraced alpha male terms and often punctuated them with vulgar and derogatory language.
During his campaign, Trump regularly appeared on podcasts, on gaming platforms and with key supporters who described voting for Trump as a way to demonstrate true masculinity. While Trump recorded a podcast with Rogan, who himself had discussed hypermasculinity, Harris failed to make a similar appearance, citing scheduling conflicts.
Trump’s son, Don Jr., was also at the fight.
Except for a day trip to Washington this week to meet each other for almost two hours with President Biden and separately addressing Republicans in the House of Representatives, Trump has been spending his time since his election day victory at Mar-a-Lago. The club organizes galas and conservative events throughout the week.
Trump has been close to White for more than two decades.
White hosted a UFC fight in 2001 at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Trump has regularly attended UFC matches since then – including during his 2024 campaign. Trump has recently appeared at fights with famous entourages, including White, musician Kid Rock and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.
In 2018, during Trump’s first term, he and White starred in a UFC video that referred to the then-president as the “Combatant In Chief.”
As Trump has tightened his grip on the national Republican Party over the past nearly a decade, White’s personal political profile has grown exponentially. White spoke at the 2016 and 2020 Republican conventions, and when the party met in Milwaukee last July. He also addressed the crowd at Trump’s victory party in Florida in the early morning hours after Election Day.
“This is what happens when the machine comes after you,” White said at the time. “What you’ve seen over the years, this is what it looks like: I couldn’t stop him. He keeps going. He doesn’t give up.’
