Donald Trump lapped up attention from a raucous 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 on 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, and he received a standing ovation from 17,000 fans at the Prudential Center in Newark.
New footage has now emerged of the moment Trump raises a fist and salutes the fans, after they started a loud chant of ‘f*** Joe Biden’ while he sat ringside.
In the next row, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers – previously touted as a potential vice-president of Trump’s 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 made his way to his seat in New Jersey.
Aaron Rodgers sat close to Donald Trump – but did not appear keen to be associated with him
Trump received a deafening reception as he arrived at the Prudential Center in New Jersey
Chants of ‘USA, USA!’ broke out, after Trump followed the entrance of fighter Sean Strickland.
‘He is getting a standing ovation from the assembled masses,’ one of the fight’s TV commentators said.
Trump also used the occasion to launch his official TikTok account. At the beginning of his debut TikTok, Trump stands next to UFC CEO Dana White.
‘The president is now on TikTok,’ White says with a smile. ‘It’s my honor,’ Trump says.
The rest of the TikTok is a mashup of Trump shaking hands and taking selfies with different fans at the UFC fight.
At the end of the video, Trump leans close to the camera and asks: ‘That was a good walk on, right?’
The former president aptly captioned his first TikTok: ‘Launching my TikTok at UFC 302.’
When he walked into the arena, Trump was greeted by popular comedian Theo Von, who eagerly shook the president’s hand. Trump smiled at Von and affectionately patted him on the shoulder.
Trump is seen through the bars of the UFC cage, days after being found guilty in his trial
Earlier in the night, Rodgers appeared to ignore the former President as he arrived at the event
@realdonaldtrump Launching my TikTok at @UFC ♬ original sound – President Donald J Trump
Trump’s wild reception in New Jersey comes just days after the jury in his trial found he illegally influenced the 2016 election by hiding a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels – who has claimed to have a consensual sexual encounter with Trump a decade prior (Trump has denied that).
Each count carries a possible maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.
Trump will be sentenced by on July 11, although a custodial sentence is unlikely to follow.
He is the first president in US history to be convicted of a felony and raged against the ‘rigged’ trial, which he claims was politically-motivated as his 2024 re-election campaign continues to gather steam.
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