Trump, Musk and new cabinet nominees celebrate at UFC

Donald Trump got a warm welcome as he celebrated his election victory at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in New York alongside Elon Musk and some of his government picks.

Trump entered the arena to loud music and cheers from the UFC 309 crowd at Maddison Square Garden.

He spent most of the night sandwiched between UFC president Dana White and Tesla CEO Musk.

Two of Trump’s key cabinet picks, Robert F Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, plus Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead Trump’s cost-cutting “Department of Government Efficiency” with Musk, were also in the crowd.

Trump enthusiastically greeted podcaster and UFC announcer Joe Rogan, who supported the president-elect after he appeared on his show before the election.

Trump waved to fans chanting “USA” as he walked to the Octagon before breaking into applause and dancing as the UFC played footage celebrating his election victory over Kamala Harris.

Jon Jones, who retained his UFC heavyweight title, then celebrated by going over to greet Trump and present the president-elect with his title.

“I want to say a big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” Jones said, receiving a huge roar of approval from the crowd.

Trump has long been a supporter of the UFC and has attended many of its live events over the years.

He usually receives a warm welcome from fans, although he did get some boos at a UFC event in 2019, toward the end of his first term as president.

White has been one of Trump’s most high-profile backers.

Speaking at the Republican National Convention in July, the UFC president said, “I’m in the tough guy business and this man is the toughest, most resilient human being I’ve ever met in my entire life.”