Just a scant few days in the wake of pleading not guilty to a series of criminal charges, former President Donald Trump found an extremely warm and hearty welcome after making an appearance at UFC 287 this past Saturday evening in Miami.
A number of videos posted to social media highlighted Trump making his way through the Kaseya Center, filled to the brim with cheering attendees. Trump himself is known to be a fan of the UFC and has attended a number of fights over the years.
Directly next to the Octagon, Trump was seated next to well-known rockstar Kid Rock, UFC President Dana White, and former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. At one point during the event, the former president stood and waved to the massive crowd, who promptly broke into chants of "U-S-A."
President Trump received a standing ovation at UFC 287 and then the crowd started chanting "USA!" pic.twitter.com/TeERwryfYQ
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 9, 2023
In the wake of losing his fight and announcing his retirement, UFC star fighter Jorge Masvidal gave former President Trump a shout-out.
"I want to say — greatest president in the history of the world sitting right there," exclaimed Masvidal, resulting in another round of cheering from the crowd. "I love that guy!"
Jorge Masvidal pointing at Donald Trump -- "The greatest president in the history of the world."
The crowd goes wild and starts chanting "Let's Go Brandon."pic.twitter.com/H74Qmwugr7
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 9, 2023
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently expected by most to step up and compete for the 2024 presidency against Trump, also ended up receiving heavy praise from Masvidal.
"We also got the greatest governor of all time here in Florida. Let’s keep Florida free — a red state," Masvidal stated before starting up and leading a "Let's Go Brandon" chant, which has historically become a rallying cry for those against President Joe Biden.
Mike Tyson and Donald Trump together at UFC 287… pic.twitter.com/Q9My4ccKoa
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 9, 2023
Well-known as a longtime celebrity businessman, Trump announced back in November that he would be carrying out yet another campaign for the presidential office. If Trump manages to secure the nomination slot from the GOP, he could wind up directly in another rematch against Biden, who has stated his intent to run for another term but has not yet made any formal moves to make such a thing happen.
For multiple months, Trump has generally sat directly at the top of the 2024 Republican primary polls, but as of late his numbers seem top have been heavily boosted as he cemented his spot in history as the first former president to directly face criminal charges.
President Trump with Mike Tyson, Kid Rock, and Dana White at UFC. pic.twitter.com/AZelkRs5B4
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 9, 2023