Former President Donald Trump entered the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saturday night to a roaring crowd, meeting with numerous celebrities and even a victorious fighter at UFC 290.
UFC President Dana White accompanied Trump to his seat, high-fiving supporters before the main event. South African fighter Dricus Du Plessis was also recorded greeting the former president after he defeated Robert Whittaker in round 2.
Throughout the night, Trump was photographed with podcast host Joe Rogan, director Mel Gibson, and even celebrity chef Guy Fieri, host of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Podcast host Benny Johnson captioned a photo of the former president with Fieri, “Trump in Flavor Town,” referring to the celebrity chef’s nickname, the “Mayor of Flavortown.”
And the crowd goes absolutely wild for @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/rToI1XogN1
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 9, 2023
HAPPENING NOW🔥🔥🔥🔥@realDonaldTrump @danawhite @dricusduplessis #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/WQcoaSB6OC
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) July 9, 2023
UFC 290 is the headline event of International Fight Week, which began on July 3 and ends Sunday. Trump and White are known to be friends, with White speaking at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and 2020 to support Trump. The former president is a frequent spectator at UFC events, attending UFC 287 in April and inspiring a “USA!” chant. In 2019, as president, Trump attended a UFC event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Hours before the fight Saturday, Trump delivered a 40-minute speech at Calvary Chapel in Las Vegas where he warned about the direction of the country and told President Joe Biden that the “gloves are off.”
“I wouldn’t have said this three weeks ago. I wouldn’t have said it. I was actually very kind to him,” Trump said. “I was very kind to him, but now we can’t be kind anymore because the gloves are off. The jar has been opened … He’s totally compromised.”
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Trump also called Biden “corrupt” and “incompetent” and said the issues like immigration, crime, and the economy have become much worse under the Biden administration. Likely referencing recent accusations and the House investigation into the Biden family’s overseas business dealings, Trump claimed the president has “taken millions of dollars from other countries like China.”
“I don’t like doing the same word for two people,” Trump said regarding his “Crooked Hillary” nickname for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “We’re using the word crooked for Joe Biden because Joe Biden is the most crooked president in the history of our country by a factor of hundreds. He’s a crook.”
President Trump lost Nevada in 2016 and 2020 by less than three points but hasn’t written the state off for 2024.
“We have a big job to do. This has been a hard state. I really believe it’s a Republican state,” Trump said.