Donald Trump attracted the attention of a rowdy UFC crowd in New Jersey on Saturday night, raising his fist as they chanted ‘f*** Joe Biden.’
The former president made his first public appearance since being convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday and received a standing ovation from 17,000 fans at the Prudential Center in Newark.
Now new footage has emerged of the moment Trump raises a fist and waves to fans, after they began loudly chanting “fuck Joe Biden” while he sat in the ring.
In the next row, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, previously touted as a possible vice president of Trump rival RFK Jr., appears to lower his cap and cover his face.
The awkward moment occurred just minutes after Rodgers appeared to ignore Trump as he headed to his seat in New Jersey.
Aaron Rodgers sat near Donald Trump, but didn’t seem interested in associating with him.
Trump received a deafening reception upon arrival at the Prudential Center in New Jersey
Chants of ‘USA, USA!’ broke out, after Trump followed the entrance of wrestler Sean Strickland.
“He’s getting a standing ovation from the assembled masses,” said one of the fight’s television commentators.
Trump also took advantage of the occasion to launch his official TikTok account. At the beginning of his TikTok debut, Trump stands alongside UFC CEO Dana White.
“The president is on TikTok now,” White says with a smile. “It’s an honor for me,” Trump says.
The rest of the TikTok is a combination of Trump shaking hands and taking selfies with different fans at the UFC fight.
At the end of the video, Trump approaches the camera and asks, “It was a good ride, right?”
The former president aptly captioned his first TikTok: “Launching my TikTok at UFC 302.”
Upon entering the arena, Trump was greeted by popular comedian Theo Von, who enthusiastically shook the president’s hand. Trump smiled at Von and patted him affectionately on the shoulder.
Trump is seen through the bars of the UFC cage, days after being found guilty at his trial
Earlier that night, Rodgers appeared to ignore the former president when he arrived at the event.
Trump’s wild reception in New Jersey comes just days after the jury in his trial found that he illegally influenced the 2016 election by concealing a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had a sexual encounter. agreed upon with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied it.)
Each charge carries a possible maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.
Trump will be sentenced on July 11, although a prison sentence is unlikely to follow.
He is the first president in US history to be convicted of a felony and rages against the “rigged” trial, which he claims was politically motivated as his 2024 re-election campaign continues to gain steam.