Trump arrives at MSG to make appearance at UFC event as cabinet picks controversy grows
US President-elect Donald Trump was greeted by chanting fans as he attended a UFC bout with allies including Elon Musk.
President-elect Donald Trump returned to Madison Square Garden, the site of his massive pre-election rally, to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship event.
The appearance followed a week in which he revealed his new appointments for the incoming Trump administration.
Mr Trump was greeted by chanting fans as he entered the arena shortly before the start of the main card accompanied by UFC chief executive Dana White, who was a prominent backer during his election campaign.
Several political allies of Mr Trump were also in attendance including entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been asked by Trump to lead efforts to cut government inefficiency.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who Mr Trump has nominated to be health secretary, was also at the fight and a photo posted on X showed the pair flying to the event together on Mr Trump’s private plane.
Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. watching the #UFC309 prelims on Trump Force One 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ztUceyLeKy
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) November 17, 2024
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman tapped for the role of director of national intelligence, was also in the crowd along with Mr Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr and musician Kid Rock – a regular at Trump rallies.
After waving to the chanting crowd, Mr Trump warmly greeted UFC broadcast analyst Joe Rogan, the popular podcast host who also endorsed Mr Trump after he appeared as a guest on his show.
The venue’s giant screen above the cage where fighters will battle for titles then showed a video featuring highlights of the election campaign with sound bites from Mr Trump.
The film ended with the numbers 45 and 47 on the screen, representing the Republican’s previous and upcoming presidency.
Fans chanted “USA, USA,” a refrain frequently heard at Trump rallies, including one he held at Madison Square Garden last month.
Mr Trump watched the fights alongside Mr Musk from front row seats.
The President-elect frequently attends UFC events and attended three fights during his campaign for the White House.
Mr Trump’s ties to the fight world run deep.
He featured retired WrestleMania star Hulk Hogan at the Republican convention in August and hosted UFC bouts at his casinos in the early days, when the series struggled to gain traction and well before it became today’s multi-billion success.
It came as Mr Trump nominated fracking magnate and climate change sceptic Chris Wright as energy secretary, tasking him with “cutting red tape” which the new administration hopes will drive investment in fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s cabinet nominees face heavy scrutiny, including claims of misconduct.
His defence secretary pick Pete Hegseth denies a sexual assault allegation while attorney general pick Matt Gaetz is at the centre of an ethics investigation.
Mr Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is also under fire for his vaccine scepticism.
The US Senate will need to confirm these nominees when Mr Trump takes office in January and the cabinet contenders will face a grilling during bipartisan hearings.
WILD THEORY BIDEN VOTED FOR TRUMP GOES VIRAL
Podcaster Joe Rogan has joined hundreds of Donald Trump supporters to declare he believes the theory US President Joe Biden in fact voted for the Republican candidate.
MAGA faithful have been taking to X in droves this week tweeting Mr Biden looked far too happy for a man whose party had just suffered a crushing defeat.
Mr Rogan agreed, citing his theory Mr Biden was resentful of Democrat candidate Kamala Harris for forcing him to step down from the race.
“Biden voted for Trump, I guarantee it. I never saw that dude so happy in his life. He lost, his party lost, (and) he was happy,” Rogan said on his show this week.
Mr Rogan pointed to the meeting at the White House on Wednesday where a beaming Mr Biden greeted Mr Trump with a jovial “welcome back”.
“When Obama had to shake hands with Trump and do the whole transition thing, Obama looked like Jesus Christ,” Mr Rogan continued.
“Look at his (Biden’s) f***ing smile, dude. That’s like when your kid gets married … That motherf***er’s never been more happy in his life.
“He’s like, that b****. She went down. You can’t tell me he wasn’t happy. Like when he put that MAGA hat on and he took it with him on the plane.
“That motherf***er was happy. He had a giant smile on his face. He said, “Welcome back” to him.”
TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL CABINET PICKS
One of Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks just became even more so: Pete Hegseth, tapped for defence secretary, was accused of sexual assault in 2017, according to police.
No charges were filed in the case, but shocked Trump transition team officials are nonetheless reportedly weighing next steps for the Fox News host, whose nomination took many in Washington by surprise.
President-elect Trump nominated the 44-year-old National Guard veteran on Tuesday to run the world’s most powerful military, despite having never managed a large organisation.
Police in Monterey, California confirmed Thursday that they had investigated “an alleged sexual assault” at a hotel involving Hegseth that included bruising to the victim’s right thigh, in early October 2017.
News of the woman’s accusations caught the Trump team off guard, according to Vanity Fair, which first reported the story.
Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore told the publication that the allegation “was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.” And Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said that Hegseth “has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed.
“We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defence so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again,” Cheung said.
Hegseth’s hearing in the Senate is likely to be among the more fraught, not only due to his lack of experience but also other controversies, such as his lobbying of Trump during his first term to pardon service members accused of war crimes.
Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and now co-hosts “Fox and Friends Weekend” and serves as a host for “Fox Nation.” He additionally served as an infantry officer in the National Guard, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The accusations against Hegseth come as Trump’s pick for attorney general, far-right former congressman Matt Gaetz, stunned many following his lengthy embroilment in sexual misconduct allegations.
And Trump himself was convicted of financial wrongdoing for covering up payments to a former porn star and found liable for defaming and sexually abusing an author.
Hegseth has been married three times, divorcing his first wife in 2009 following an “irretrievable breakdown” and “infidelity,” according to the Washington Post.
His second wife filed for divorce in September 2017, one month after he had a baby with a Fox News producer whom he subsequently married, according to US media.
TRUMP MAKES HISTORY WITH NEXT TEAM PICK
President-elect Donald Trump has hand-picked his campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt as the youngest ever person to serve as the White House press secretary.
Ms Leavitt, 27, has previously served in the 45th president’s White House as assistant press secretary and Mr Trump said she had done a “phenomenal job”.
“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary,” Mr Trump said.
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” he added. “I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again.”
She will become the fifth White House press secretary to serve under him.
Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany all held the role during his first term.
Mr Trump also announced his longtime communications guru Steven Cheung would return as director of communications.
He also announced Sergio Gor — CEO of Don Jr.’s Winning Team Publishing company — will step in as director of the Presidential Personnel Office.
“Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016 and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way through our Historic Victory in 2024,” Mr Trump said.
TRUMP DOCUMENTS CASE ‘PAUSED’
A US appeals court granted a request by Special Counsel Jack Smith to pause the case against Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.
District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, had dismissed the case against the former president in July on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed.
Smith appealed Cannon’s ruling to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals but he asked the court on Wednesday to pause the proceedings following Trump’s victory in the November 5 presidential election.
The special counsel asked the appeals court to give him until December 2 so the government can “assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
A-LISTERS PARTY WITH TRUMP
Donald Trump’s A-listers including Sylvester Stallone and Elon Musk gathered at a star-studded gala at Mar-a-Lago where the Republican proposed to start his presidency two months earlier.
Trump gave a speech at the American First Policy conference as members of his inner-circle enjoyed a final party before they start to wield their new powers as part of Trump’s presidential administration.
Star actor Sylvester Stallone revealed his support for Mr Trump for the first time by describing him as the “second George Washington” at the Mar-a-Lago bash, while the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, was also there as he revels in his new “bromance” with the president-elect.
One of the more star-studded tables featured Carlson, Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Kennedy, Hines and Department of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.
“We won the popular vote by records: no one can say that any more about us,” Trump said in his speech.
He went on to celebrate Republicans recapturing the Senate and the House and spoke directly to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
‘Things are happening to our country that we didn’t see happening for years,” he said.
“Almost every single day we set new records in the stock market.”
The Republican then made a proposal to start his second term as US president early.
“Mr Speaker, I think it’s important maybe you should pass a bill. You have to start my term from November 5 … because the market’s gone through the roof, enthusiasm has doubled,” said Trump, who is set to officially take office on January 20.
He also announced that South Dakota Governor Doug Burgum would run the Department of the Interior.
The gala comes amid a game of musical chairs between Congress and the White House, with Trump installing loyalists to key cabinet roles creating vacancies in the Senate and House to be backfilled with more key players.
More roles are expected to be announced over the coming days.
Trump also spoke about Elon Musk, with the world’s richest man being chosen by the Republican to lead government efficiency, while giving his inner circle a pep talk at the end of his speech.
“I believe in high IQs and his is as high as it can get. What a job he does. He likes this place, I can’t get him out of here! He likes this place,” Trump said.
“The public has given us a mandate that could not be more clear. The people have spoken, the people want change.”
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