Donald Trump returned to Madison Square Garden with senior aides Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vivek Ramaswamy, rejoining UFC fight night, this time as president-elect.
President Trump's deputy communications director, Margo Martin, captured a video of the president boarding a plane to New York to attend UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. President Trump was accompanied by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he nominated for secretary of Health and Human Services earlier this week. 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.
After participating in numerous UFC events in the past, there have been rumors that Trump may take part in more fights inside the Octagon.
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President Donald Trump speaks with UFC President Dana White during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8, 2023. (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Vivek Ramaswami, the Republican presidential candidate for early 2024, withdrew from the campaign and abandoned his support for Trump. tweeted a photo A scene from the match against Kid Rock at Madison Square Garden. It is not clear whether they traveled with President Trump or separately.
Trump and UFC president Dana White are longtime friends, with the latter appearing several times during Trump's campaign leading up to the election.
White, who said Trump is a “huge fan” of mixed martial arts, was asked in an interview with TMZ Sports to confirm rumors that Trump was headed 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.
“If you think about fighter jet strikes, every time a fighter jet walks into battle, [octagon]So the two big guys that are really going to shake up the arena are President Trump and Conor McGregor,” White said. [Saturday] It's definitely fun at night. ”
Dana White speaks next to Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump during a rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Brendan McDiarmid/Reuters)
Trump appeared at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for the UFC 302 fight in June to thunderous applause from the crowd.
Now that Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, the reaction to his sighting in the “world's most famous arena” is expected to be deafening. Ru.
Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, who is returning to the Octagon more than two years since his last fight, is a prominent Trump supporter and believed he would be in attendance.
“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.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump speaks at a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, September 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
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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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