President Trump, some of his cabinet members and his adviser Elon Musk, sat in Miami at the Ultimate Battle Championship event in Miami on Saturday night, a spectacle of violent, thro-like music and cheering crowds that the president has long admired.
This is Mr. Trump's second UFC event since his second election in November and his first term. Unlike the World Wrestling Entertainment, the UFC competition was not staged.
Mr. Trump has been a fan of UFC fights for years. He attended the first presidency in New York City in the second half of 2019. He brought UFC CEO Dana White to the stage to speak in his 2024 victory speech on Election Night.
But Saturday’s scene is a symbol of a president who is increasingly bold and rude, encouraging force to enforce his agenda, especially in immigration and crime.
Mr. Trump and his two older kids walked into the Casia Center to flourish with the rock song “American Bad Ass” and received thunderous applause from the crowd. He sat next to Mr. Musk, who brought one of his 14 children. They sat with FBI Director Kash Patel; Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former Senator of Florida; Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence; Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas, is also among Trump's entourage.
When Mr. Trump first arrived he tried to hold Mr. Kennedy's hand. Mr. Kennedy is looking in the other direction. Then Mr. Trump crossed Ms. Hines's outstretched hand, though he looked to see her, his gaze completely pushed her over her.
Ms. Hines raised her hand and looked at her husband. Mr. Kennedy took Ms. Hines to greet Mr. Trump, who had a kind speech but the apparent snub had been circulated on social media.
Mr. Trump stayed in five major card matches until about 1 a.m. on Sunday.
After the first two battles, the winner zoomed the octagonal fence around the ring and opened his arms to the crowd like a gladiator. Mr. Trump pointed at them and smiled seriously. Mr. Musk reposted on his own social media site X, a video of California-born Dominick Reyes exerting a brutal punch against Ukrainian fighter Nikita Krylov, which soon ended their round, the first night Mr. Trump witnessed.
Mr. Reyes took pictures with Mr. Trump after the victory.
In the second battle, Arkansas-born fighter, Mr. Trump's vocal supporter Bryce Mitchell was beaten for many years by his opponent Jean Silva (Brazilian).
Earlier this year, Mr. Mitchell's criticism of Mr. White was criticized, including Mr. White calling Adolf Hitler a “good guy” who “fights for his country.” Mr White called the comments “disgusting”, but Mr Mitchell was not punished, and Mr White made the reason for freedom of speech. He later apologized for the comments.
Since the first Republican presidential election in 2016, Mr. Trump has incorporated some feasts from wrestling and UFC into his rally, from playlists to dramatic stage entrances. Mr. Trump's 2024 campaign has widely used his decades of hosting professional wrestling and UFC events, and as a casino owner, many fans have provided him with admiration.
On Saturday night, you can get a glimpse of the cultural and pro-Trump ecosystem that helped the vaulted Mr. Trump re-emerge into the office. Joe Rogan, a popular Texas popular Podcaster, conducted an hourly interview with Mr. Trump at the end of the 2024 campaign, sitting near Mr. Trump.
Flying on Air Force One, a brief flight from Palm Beach, Florida to Miami before the fight, Mr. Trump’s struggle with participating in a week of trade has allowed financial markets to flourish.
“So we're going to fight,” Trump said. “We have a lot of battles around the world, and I think we're going to have a lot of good news about some of these fights soon, and we're going to see it grow. But, it's a fun weekend. I think we have some good news coming to some conflict.”
