President Donald Trump got a yuge ovation as he entered an Ultimate Fighting Championship event, conspicuously blowing off a cabinet secretary’s wife to get to podcaster and UFC announcer Joe Rogan.
Trump was the beneficiary of a significant boost from Rogan during the 2024 presidential election and has long been a supporter of UFC. His entrances to events for the sport are typically friendly, and this weekend was no exception.
On Saturday night, Trump made a characteristically splashy entrance at UFC 314 in Miami at the Kaseya Center to the blaring strains of Kid Rock’s “American Badass” and chants of “USA! USA! USA!” from the crowd.
The president shook hands with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but blew off a handshake from RFK’s wife — Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines — as he made his way to an embrace Rogan and a glad-handing session for the cameras.
Also spotted with Trump were UFC CEO Dana White, close ally and surrogate Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Fans of the president pushed back on the idea that Trump “snubbed” Hines despite the fact that he looked her dead in the face as he shot past her outstretched hand. They pointed to the fact that Trump spoke with her later, but pool video shows that several minutes after the handshake, RFK brought Hines over to Trump so she could shake hands with him.
Trump emerged into the press cabin aboard Air Force One Sunday night during his return flight to Washington, DC, and took questions from reporters, praising the fighters at the tail end of that gaggle:
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And I hope you enjoyed the fights last night.
REPORTER: Oh, it was awesome.
TRUMP: Now those are tough cookies. Do you think anybody in the field here could take him in a fight?
REPORTER: I can’t take a punch in the head, Mr. President. I can’t take it.
TRUMP: We don’t want that. But they’re amazing. Dana White’s amazing.
Watch above via TNT Sports and Pool.
