Donald Trump told former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov that he will end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas during an appearance at UFC 302 on Saturday.
The former US president received a standing ovation as he walked into the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey to watch the event with UFC CEO Dana White.
It comes after current US President Joe Biden urged Hamas to accept a new peace deal offered by Israel on Friday to end the conflict in Gaza, saying: “It is time for the war to end.”
Trump’s appearance at the MMA event was also one of the first times the former president was seen since he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying company records during his hush-money trial on Thursday. It means he became the first former US president to face a criminal trial and could upend his race to return to the White House.
The 77-year-old was pictured holding his hand up in appreciation to the crowd as he made his way into The Octagon. He was then seen in a video speaking to Nurmagomedov.
The pair shook hands with the former UFC lightweight champion and said, “I know you will stop the war in Palestine.”
Former US President Donald Trump (right) appeared to tell Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) that ‘he will stop the war in Palestine’
Trump (right) received a standing ovation from fans at UFC 302 on Saturday after walking into the ring with UFC CEO Dana White
The 77-year-old former US president responded: “We will put an end to it. I will stop the war.’
The war between Israel and Hamas started on October 7, 2023. More than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of the conflict. At least a thousand people have also been killed in Israel since October.
On Friday, President Biden outlined a three-phase plan that would begin with an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and end with the reconstruction of Gaza. The attack came after an Israeli airstrike last week hit a camp where displaced Palestinians lived near Rafah, in the southern part of the strip. Following the devastating attack, the Hamas-led Health Ministry said at least 45 people were killed in the incident, while many more were injured.
Hamas had responded positively to Biden’s proposals and according to ReutersHamas said it is “ready to participate positively and in a constructive manner.”
Trump, meanwhile, was seen Saturday watching the MMA event in New Jersey, where Dustin Poririer suffered a fifth-round submission defeat to Russian fighter Islam Makhachev, who retained his lightweight title.
As Trump plans to participate in the 2024 US presidential elections, he had also created a new Tik Tok account. He posted his first video to the audience Saturday evening, in which White appeared to announce the former president’s new TikTok channel.
Trump (left) walked into the Prudential Center on Saturday with UFC CEO Dana White (right).
Trump (pictured) watched as Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier in the main event of the evening
Last week, Joe Biden outlined a three-point plan to end the ongoing conflict in Palestine, urging Hamas to accept a peace deal offered by Israel.
The conflict, which started on October 7, has claimed the lives of more than 35,000 people in Gaza
The 13-second video shows Trump entering the arena while waving to fans. He also shook hands and took selfies with several members of the audience.
“The president is on TikTok right now,” White said as he stood next to Trump during the video.
The Republican has amassed a whopping 3.4 million followers on the platform since posting his first video on Saturday, despite previously trying to ban the app because its parent company is based in China.
At the end of the video, in which the pair walk outside to 17,000 fans applauding the president, Trump leans into the camera and asks, “That was a good walk, right?”
He captioned the video: “Launching my TikTok at UFC 302.”
Last week, a jury of seven men and five women at Manhattan Criminal Court had found the former president guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Despite calling the verdict a “disgrace,” Trump’s presidential campaign raised $52.8 million online within 24 hours of the verdict’s announcement. Financial times.
Trump (center) was convicted in a Manhattan court on Thursday of 34 counts of falsifying company records
Trump said outside court after the verdict was handed down: “This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge.
“The real verdict will be pronounced by the people on November 5 and they know what happened here, and everyone knows what happened here.
‘We have done nothing wrong. I’m a very innocent man. That’s okay, I’m fighting for our country, I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our entire country is being manipulated right now. This was done by the Biden administration to injure or hurt an adversary, a political opponent.”
He added: ‘I just think it’s a shame. And we will keep fighting and fighting until the end, and we will win because our country has gone to hell.”