Trump, Visiting New York, Finds a Friendly Crowd at a Fight

The New York Times ^ | Nov. 17, 2024, 5:47 a.m. ET | Aishvarya Kavi

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President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has made few public appearances since Election Day, returned on Saturday to Madison Square Garden, the site of an inflammatory campaign rally late last month, to face a warm welcome from tens of thousands of people at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

Mr. Trump walked in to “American Bad Ass,” by Kid Rock, and was met with a chant of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

As the president-elect took his seat around 10 p.m. at the edge of the octagonal fighters’ cage, the arena for a few minutes could have been mistaken for one of his rallies. In an unusually political scene at a major sporting event, Mr. Trump was heralded on the Jumbotrons with a sleek video that began with Fox News calling the election for him and ended with the numbers 45 and 47 flashing red on a black screen.

Joining Mr. Trump at the event were Elon Musk and the podcaster Joe Rogan, as well as several of the president-elect’s choices for high-ranking posts in his administration: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the would-be health secretary; Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence; and Vivek Ramaswamy, who along with Mr. Musk has been tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency, intended to advise on cost-cutting. The group, which also included Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, looked incongruously formal in an arena filled with sweatshirts, U.F.C. gear and baseball caps.

Also in Mr. Trump’s circle was Dana White, the U.F.C. chief executive and a longtime friend, who has become close enough to the political operation that Mr. Trump invited him onstage in West Palm Beach, Fla., after his victory speech on election night. Mr. White used the moment to thank a handful of bro-culture podcasters, including the enormously popular Mr. Rogan.

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Mr. Trump walked in to “American Bad Ass,” by Kid Rock, and was met with a chant of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

[Raycpa]

No remorse by NYT on use of inflammatory language.

[RoosterRedux]

Madison Square Gardens? Didn't Hitler once attend a fight at Madison Square Gardens?

That proves it! Trump is Hitler.

We're doomed.

[The Duke]

These next few months would be good for Trump to not be so public. There are more important things for him to do than make himself a target for the nutcases, IMHO.

It’s easy enough to look like one is in the flow of things without actually being front and center.

[bigbob]

And Tulsi went to the fights with the guys...she badass too!

[Larry Lucido]

Rodney Dangerfield went to a fight. A hockey game broke out!

[NavyShoe]

It wasn't a play date. It was a show of solidarity amongst the ranks.

[SaxxonWoods]

Mr. Trump walked in to “American Bad Ass,” by Kid Rock, and was met with a chant of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

“Mr.” Trump, heh, heh, heh...

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I noticed that too, after I posted the quote.

[Texan4Life]

Trump is going the Distance at MSG:

https://x.com/SpartaJustice/status/1858029089182859622