President Trump, a few of his cupboard members and his adviser Elon Musk sat ringside in Miami late Saturday evening on the Final Combating Championship occasion — a spectacle of violence, throbbing music and cheering crowds that the president has lengthy admired.
It’s the second U.F.C. occasion that Mr. Trump has attended since he was elected for a second time in November, and the primary of his presidency. In contrast to World Wrestling Leisure occasions, U.F.C. matches aren’t staged.
Mr. Trump has been a fan of U.F.C. fights for years. He attended one in late 2019 in New York Metropolis throughout his first presidency. And he introduced the chief govt of U.F.C., Dana White, onstage to talk throughout his victory speech on election evening in 2024.
However the scene on Saturday was emblematic of a president who’s more and more emboldened, brazen and inspiring of shows of power to hold out his agenda, significantly on immigration and crime.
Mr. Trump and two of his older kids walked into the Kaseya Heart to the booming sounds of the Child Rock music “American Dangerous Ass” and to sustained, thunderous applause from the gang. He sat subsequent to Mr. Musk, who had introduced one in all his 14 kids. They sat with the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel; Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former senator from Florida; the director of nationwide intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; and Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his spouse, the actress Cheryl Hines. Additionally within the Trump entourage was Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas.
When Mr. Trump first arrived, he tried to shake Mr. Kennedy’s hand; Mr. Kennedy was wanting within the different path. Mr. Trump then walked previous the outstretched hand of Ms. Hines, transferring his gaze previous her fully regardless of showing to see her.
Ms. Hines held up her hand in confusion and checked out her husband. Mr. Kennedy introduced Ms. Hines over to say hi there to Mr. Trump a number of moments later, they usually spoke cordially, however the obvious snub had already ricocheted throughout social media.
Mr. Trump stayed for the 5 fundamental card fights, which lasted till roughly 1 a.m. Sunday.
After the primary two fights, the winners scaled the octagonal fence across the ring and opened their arms to the gang like gladiators. Mr. Trump pointed at them and smiled approvingly. Mr. Musk reposted on X, the social media web site he owns, video of a brutal punch thrown by the California-born Dominick Reyes towards Nikita Krylov, a Ukrainian fighter, that rapidly ended their bout, the primary of the evening that Mr. Trump witnessed.
Mr. Reyes posed for pictures with Mr. Trump exterior the ring after his victory.
Within the second struggle, Bryce Mitchell, an Arkansas-born fighter and a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump for a few years, was crushed by his opponent, Jean Silva, a Brazilian.
Earlier this yr, Mr. Mitchell confronted a firestorm of criticism, together with from Mr. White, after he praised Adolf Hitler as a “good man” who “fought for his nation.” Mr. White referred to as the feedback “disgusting,” however Mr. Mitchell was not punished, with Mr. White citing free speech as the rationale. He later apologized for the feedback.
Since his first Republican presidential marketing campaign in 2016, Mr. Trump has integrated among the pageantry of wrestling and U.F.C. into his rallies, from playlists to dramatic stage entrances. Mr. Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign made expansive use of his many years of internet hosting skilled wrestling occasions and U.F.C. occasions as a on line casino proprietor, and the adoration lots of the followers have for him.
Saturday evening was a glimpse into the cultural and pro-Trump ecosystem that helped vault Mr. Trump again into workplace. Joe Rogan, the wildly well-liked Texas-based podcaster who performed an hourslong interview with Mr. Trump on the finish of the 2024 marketing campaign, sat close to Mr. Trump.
Flying aboard Air Drive One for a quick flight from Palm Seaside, Fla., to Miami earlier than the struggle, Mr. Trump related attending a struggle to every week of commerce fights that despatched monetary markets spiraling.
“So we’re going to the struggle,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “We’ve got numerous fights going all over the world, and I believe now we have a number of excellent news coming quickly about a few of these fights, and we’ll see the way it goes. Nevertheless it’s been a it’s been an attention-grabbing weekend. I believe now we have some fairly excellent news approaching among the conflicts.”
