Getty ImagesDonald Trump received a warm welcome as he celebrated his election win at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in New York with Elon Musk and some of his cabinet.
Trump entered the arena to loud music and cheers from the UFC 309 crowd at Madison Square Garden.
He spent most of the night sitting between UFC President Dana White and Tesla CEO Musk.
Two key members of Trump’s cabinet, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, were also in the crowd, as well as Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead Trump’s cost-cutting “department of government efficiency” with Musk.
Getty ImagesTrump enthusiastically greeted podcaster and UFC announcer Joe Rogan, who supported the president-elect. When he appeared on his show before the election.
Trump waved to fans, who chanted “USA” as he made his way to the Octagon, before breaking into applause and dancing as the UFC played footage celebrating his election victory over Kamala Harris.
Getty ImagesJon Jones, who retained his UFC heavyweight title, then celebrated by handing his title to the president-elect, to welcome Trump.
“I want to say thank you very much to President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” Jones said to loud applause from the crowd.
Getty ImagesTrump has been a longtime supporter of the UFC, attending many of its live events over the years.
He is generally received warmly by fans, He got some boos though At a UFC event in 2019, toward the end of his first term as president.
White has been one of Trump’s most high-profile supporters.
The UFC president said in a speech at the Republican National Convention in July: “I’m in the tough guy business and this guy is the toughest, most resilient person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
