Donald Trump received a warm welcome as he celebrated his election victory at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in New York alongside Elon Musk and several of his cabinet picks.
Trump entered the arena to loud music and cheers from the UFC 309 crowd at Maddison Square Garden.
He spent much of the night sitting between UFC President Dana White and Tesla CEO Musk.
Two of Trump’s key cabinet picks, Robert F Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead Trump’s cost-cutting “Department of Government Effectiveness” with Musk, also have face in the crowd.
Getty ImagesTrump enthusiastically welcomed podcaster and UFC announcer Joe Rogan, who supported the president-elect after he appeared on his show before the election.
Trump waved to fans, who chanted “USA” as he walked to the octagon, before being immersed in applause and dancing as the UFC played footage celebrating his election victory before Kamala Harris.
Getty ImagesJon Jones, who retained his UFC heavyweight titlethen celebrated by going up to greet Trump, presenting the honor to the president-elect.
“I want to say a huge thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” Jones said, drawing loud approval from the crowd.
Getty ImagesTrump has been a long-time supporter of the UFC, attending many of the organization’s live events over the years.
He often receives warm welcomes from fans, although he received some boos at a UFC event in 2019, before the end of his first term as president.
White is one of Trump’s most high-profile supporters.
The UFC president gave a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, saying: “I’m in the tough guys business and this man is the toughest guy, The most resilient I have ever met in my entire life.”
