Donald Trump was in the building at UFC 302 Saturday night -- just 2 days later and 10 miles away from the NYC courtroom where he was convicted this week -- and the former president received a rousing standing ovation from the packed crowd!
Trump walked into the Prudential Center shortly after the main card kicked off, flanked by UFC honcho and close friend, Dana White, and a gang of Secret Service agents.
45 was shown on the big screen inside the Newark, NJ arena, and many of the near-17k MMA fans lost it!
“The round of applause he’s getting right now is pretty staggering,” Joe Rogan reacted on the broadcast.
As Trump made his way to his seat, he shook dozens of hands ... including Rogan's.
One person who didn't stand up, or even appear to cheer, was Jets star quarterback Aaron Rodgers who was sitting with former teammate Marcedes Lewis. AR is close with DT opponent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ... who even considered the 4x NFL MVP as his running mate. RFK Jr. instead selected Nicole Shanahan.
Trump walking past Rodgers at UFC 302 … pic.twitter.com/Eua7vSC1Y2
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) June 2, 2024
If the standing ovation wasn't enough of a clue that the crowd was decidedly in Trump's favor (Aaron aside) ... the "F*** Joe Biden" was surely all the proof you need.
Moments after Donald Trump takes his seat at tonight’s UFC fight in Newark, the audience breaks out into a spontaneous “Fuck Joe Biden” chant. pic.twitter.com/8Op4hx7pUz
— Shawn McCreesh (@ShawnMcCreesh) June 2, 2024
Trump ultimately sat right up against the Octagon, next to White. Kevin Holland, after an impressive armbar stoppage, approached Donald and shared a few words with the 2024 presidential candidate. Sean Strickland also showed love to DT after his win against Paulo Costa.
Of course, the arrival of Trump comes just over 48 hours after he was convicted on 34 criminal counts in a New York City courthouse.
It seems clear the trial and conviction only strengthened the former president's appeal ... at least among the MMA crowd in New Jersey.