Donald Trump appeared at UFC 302 and received a standing ovation from fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday night as fans awaited the main event in which Dustin Poirier challenged for the UFC Lightweight Championship by Islam Makhachev.
Trump entered the arena with UFC president Dana White. He also stopped for a moment to say hello to comedian Theo Von. Trump shook hands with some fans and waved to the crowd.
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Donald Trump is seen attending during the UFC 302 event at the Prudential Center on June 1, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The former president then took his place right outside the UFC octagon and prepared to watch the main card.
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It was one of Trump's first public appearances since he was found guilty of all charges in a criminal trial in New York on Thursday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“This was a disgrace. It was a rigged trial by an embattled judge who was corrupt as a rigged trial and a disgrace. He wouldn't give us a change of venue,” Trump said afterward. “We were in the five percent or 6 percent in this district, in this area. This was a rigged and shameful trial.”
Trump said that “the true verdict will be on November 5th by the people.”
Former President Donald Trump, center right, smiles toward Dana White, front left, while attending the UFC 302 mixed martial arts event on Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Newark, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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“And they know what happened here and they all know what happened here,” Trump said. “You have a Soros-backed district attorney and all that.”
He added: “We didn't do anything wrong. I'm a very innocent man. And that's okay. I'm fighting for our country. I'm fighting for our Constitution. Our entire country is being manipulated right now.”
Trump said the case was “conducted by the Biden administration to hurt or injure an opponent, a political opponent.”
“And I think it's just a shame. And we will continue to fight, we will fight until the end and we will win because our country has gone to hell,” he said. “We no longer have the same country. We have a divided disaster. We are a nation in decline, in serious decline.”
Trump said that “millions and millions of people are coming into our country right now from prisons and mental institutions, terrorists. And they're taking over our country. We have a country that's in big trouble.”
Donald Trump looks up during the UFC 302 event at Prudential Center on June 1, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“But this was a rigged decision from day one, with a conflicted judge who should never have been allowed to try this case. Ever,” he said. “And we will fight for our Constitution. This is far from over.”
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Trump has made semi-regular appearances at UFC events. He is a close friend of White, who spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in support of Trump.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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