Donald Trump arrives at MSG to attend UFC 295 flanked by Kid Rock and Dana White

Publish date: 2024-06-14

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Former President Donald Trump entered Madison Square Garden for Saturday night’s UFC fights to a loud ovation from the crowd, flanked by an entourage of Kid Rock, Tucker Carlson, Dana White and son Don Jr.

The 45th President, a well-known boxing and mixed martial arts fan, arrived at UFC 295 just moments before the highly anticipated pay-per-view event kicked off. 

Trump pumped his fist and waved to the sold-out crowd as Kid Rock’s “American Badass” blared throughout the iconic arena before sitting down in his ringside seats, alongside his crew of well-known faces.

Czechian fighter Jiří Procházka will duke it out with Brazilian Alex Pereira for the Light Heavyweight title to headline the card.

Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, reportedly beelined to New York immediately after holding a rally in New Hampshire to catch the fight.

Despite mounting legal troubles and his refusal to participate in any primary debates, including the latest GOP debate on Wednesday, he still holds a commanding lead over his opponents ahead of the 2024 election.

Donald Trump poses with Dana White and Kid Rock. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Trump waves to the crowd at MSG. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The former Commander-in-Chief is currently polling at 55.6% — leaps and bounds ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who’s at 14.1%, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 8.7%, and Vivek Ramaswamy at 5.3%, according to the latest national polling data compiled by FiveThirtyEight.

Trump also recently took the lead over President Biden in six out of seven major battleground states.

In an interview this week, the 77-year-old Republican suggested he would use the powers of the FBI and Justice Department to attack his political rivals if he wins the 2024 election, calling the indictments against him “pathetic” and a weaponization of the DOJ.

Trump’s security team was seen backstage at Madison Square Garden. Paul Martinka
Trump entered the arena just as the main card was set to begin at 10 PM. Paul Martinka

The ex-president is facing a federal criminal indictment for allegedly concealing sensitive White House documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida  — and then lying to federal authorities who sought the documents. 

He is also federally charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results related to the Jan. 6 riots.

At the state level, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg slapped Trump with 34 counts for alleged hush money payments to keep porn star Stormy Daniels and others quiet during the 2016 cycle.

In Georgia, Trump was indicted for attempting to overturn the election results in that state.

In total, he faces 91 felony charges.

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