July 9, 2023, 6:44 PM UTC
By Jake Traylor and Vaughn Hillyard
LAS VEGAS — Former President Donald Trump drew a raucous reaction from the audience at UFC 290 on Saturday evening when he showed up for the mixed martial arts event amid a weekend of campaign stops in Las Vegas and Iowa.
While at T-Mobile Arena, Trump chatted with notable political allies and celebrities, including actors Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg and celebrity chef Guy Fieri. Roger Stone, Trump’s longtime friend, former political adviser and weekend travel companion, tweeted a photo of himself, Trump and Hollywood star Gibson in conversation during the event.
Stone, a longtime political provocateur, traveled with the campaign in Trump’s personal aircraft over the weekend and has a long history with the former president. Stone drew scrutiny from the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee for his actions in the lead-up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, and invoked the 5th amendment when subpoenaed by the committee later that year. Stone was also at the heart of probes into Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 election, and was convicted on charges stemming from then-special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling, for which Trump later pardoned him.
Trump was seen chatting inside the arena with Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan and briefly shaking hands with actor Mark Wahlberg. The former president, who’s seeking re-election in 2024, high-fived supporters while walking along the Octagon before taking a seat in the first row.
South African UFC fighter Dricus Du Plessis abruptly jumped the fighting cage to quickly shake hands and talk with Trump after a second-round technical knockout of his opponent.
Also spotted with Trump at his campaign stop at a church in Vegas on Saturday afternoon was Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald, a close political ally of the former president who appeared last month before the special counsel grand jury investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. McDonald was also one of the so-called “fake electors” involved in the effort to override those results.
Trump entered the T-Mobile Arena from a ground-level tunnel alongside UFC President Dana White, a staunch supporter of his. White spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention and donated $1 million dollars to pro-Trump super PAC America First Action.
Trump is no stranger to UFC events, attending UFC 244 while president in 2019 alongside then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and then-Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., Trump’s future White House chief of staff. The former president most recently attended a UFC event in April alongside musician Kid Rock.
Vaughn Hillyard
Vaughn Hillyard is a political reporter for NBC News.
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