Donald Trump has made his grand entrance at Madison Square Garden for UFC 309 alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elon Musk and, of course, Dana White.
Only instead of chitchatting with his Health of Human Services nominee, billionaire donor and the UFC’s CEO, Trump instead made a beeline for announcer Joe Rogan, the podcast host who arguably helped the President-elect return to the White House.
Rogan gave his endorsement to Trump just one day before the election after sitting down with Musk for a two-hour long interview and hosting the Republican candidate on his show.
The President-elect’s presence had been expected at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena,’ where he recently held a blockbuster campaign rally ahead of his November 5 electoral victory. Only this time the 78-year-old conceded the spotlight to heavyweights Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
Trump didn’t arrive alone, but rather flew to the event on his private plane alongside his Health and Human Services nominee, Kennedy, who was also seated cage-side.
Joe Rogan jumps out of his seat to great Donald Trump upon his arrival at UFC 309 at MSG
Trump follows Dana White onto the event floor at MSG in front of billionaire donor Elon Musk
Jelly Roll is seen laughing behind Trump as President-elect approaches the UFC announcers
White and Trump’s fondness for each other is no secret. Trump has tapped the UFC President and CEO to speak for him at the last three Republican National Conventions, leading many to wonder if he’d serve a greater role in the White House at some point.
‘His base is Trump’s base,’ Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former White House counselor, previously told The New York Times of White. ‘And Trump’s base is his base.’
White, however, has downplayed any potential Trump appointment.
‘Donald Trump is one of my very good friends,’ White told Sports Business Journal through a spokesperson. ‘He did a great job in his last term as president, and I know he will do an even better job the next four years. I have no personal political aspirations.’
Besides, White may provide a greater service to Trump through what The New York Times calls ‘cage-match politics.’ Trump now makes regular cage-side appearances at UFC events, where fight fans — and the fighters themselves — have showered the former President with adulation.
The best example of this came on June 1 at UFC 302 in Newark, where Trump was met by thunderous applause as he strolled onto the Prudential Center floor alongside White.
After being feted for several minutes, Trump shook hands with dozens of onlookers, including announcers Joe Rogan and Jon Anik, before making his way to his seat to watch lightweight Islam Makhachev defeat Dustin Poirier in the main event.
The scene was a dramatic departure from a day earlier, when Trump was convicted of 34 counts of fraud in New York.
In a video posted on X by Trump’s Deputy Communications Director Margo Martin, the 78-year-old’s unmistakable silhouette is seen walking up the stair car and into his private plane
Later Martin posted a picture from inside the plane, revealing that Heath and Human Services nominee Robert Kennedy Jr. was also en route to UFC 309
Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27
Dana White, US businessman and President of UFC, speaks during a rally held for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, at Madison Square Garden
Saturday’s event is being held at MSG, which hosted a blockbuster Trump rally two weeks earlier that may have helped catapult him back into the White House. As was the case at the Republican National Convention, White spoke in support of his friend, Trump, to the MSG crowd last month.
Trump later celebrated that victory with White at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
‘Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does,’ White told the crowd in Palm Beach.
‘This is what happens when the machine comes after you. What you’ve seen over the last several years, this is what it looks like.
‘He keeps going forward, he doesn’t quit. He’s the most resilient, hard-working man I’ve ever met in your life. His family are incredible people. This is karma, ladies and gentlemen. He deserves this, they deserve it as a family.’
