Written by Maria Tsvetkova and Steve Holland
PRESIDENT-elect Donald Trump arrived at a busy Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday night to attend the Ultimate Fighting Championship event and celebrate his election victory with many of his supporters.
Known to some in the mixed martial arts world as the “Combatant in Chief,” Trump counts UFC President Dana White as a close friend and considers the sport’s fans part of his political base.
Trump entered the arena singing loudly and raised his hand to the crowd, most of whom returned the gesture. Among those who joined him were Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Tesla (NASDAQ:) CEO Elon Musk, a close adviser to Trump, singer Kid Rock and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who plans to nominate him for secretary of Health and Human Services.
Trump did some dancing as his signature campaign song, “YMCA,” played over the microphone. He finally sat down and was talking about life with Musk.
His visit to the Manhattan stadium brought him back to the site of a controversial campaign rally he held there on Oct. 27, where the warm-hearted comedian mocked Puerto Rico as a “floating garbage island.”
Saturday’s headline event in the octagon at UFC 309 is the undisputed world heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.
A Trump aide posted a photo on social media showing Trump watching some of the ground fighting while sitting on his plane next to Kennedy.
Several guests at Madison Square Garden, a 20,000-seat stadium, wore red “Make America Great Again” hats.
One of them, Sean Allen, 22, went to the event from Monroe in upstate New York, where he lives and works for the county department.
He said he voted for Trump and lent his MAGA hat to a friend after hearing that the Republican presidential nominee, who won the Nov. 5 primary over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, might be coming to the fight.
“I had never voted before. It was the first time I voted,” said Allen, echoing that he would have voted in the last election but is not interested in politics.
“When I woke up, I was like, OK, wow, Trump won big.”
Nicholas Defilippo, 39, another visitor wearing a MAGA hat, also put it on to express his support for Trump after voting for him. Defilippo lives in New Jersey and works in law.
“He’s the bravest man in the world,” he said of Trump.
The plane of the president-elect who calls himself “Trump Force One” took off from the Palm Beach airport shortly after dusk, taking two hours. It was the second time Trump has left the Palm Beach, Florida area since winning the November 5 presidential election.
The 78-year-old Republican flew to Washington on Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House, and has been filling cabinet positions for his administration at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Security was on hand around Madison Square Garden awaiting his arrival.
