NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at the Prudential Center on Saturday night, putting his public feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk on hold to instead watch the fierce battles inside the cage.
Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats for UFC 316 to Kid Rock's "American Bad Ass." Trump and White did the same for UFC's card last November at Madison Square Garden, only then they were joined by Musk.
Trump shook hands with fans and supporters — a heavyweight lineup that included retired boxing great Mike Tyson — on his way to the cage. Trump was joined by his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, along with son Eric Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team that included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours in the final stages of the campaign last year.
UFC fans went wild for Trump and held mobile devices in their outstretched arms to snap pictures of him. Trump is a longtime UFC enthusiast and frequent attendee of major fights.
Trump arrived in time for the start of a card set to include two championship fights. Julianna Peña and Merab Dvalishvili were scheduled to each defend their 135-pound championships.
UFC fighter Kevin Holland choked out Vicente Luque to win the first fight with Trump in the building. He scaled the cage and shook hands with Trump. He briefly chatted with Trump and White before he returned for his post-fight interview.
Trump has been close to White for more than two decades.
White hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic City, and Trump has frequently attended UFC matches since — including during his 2024 campaign. Trump has turned up at fights recently with famous entourages, including White, musician Kid Rock and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.
Trump and White's alliance has yielded dividends for both parties. White stumped for Trump at Republican conventions while men who soak up fight nights threw their support behind Trump in the elections.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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