Trump loves the UFC. His campaign hopes viral videos of his appearances will help him pummel rivals

NEW YORK — After Donald Trump attended the annual Palmetto Bowl in South Carolina, a video emerged showing the crowd chanting “We want Trump!” chanted. when the former president arrived at Williams-Brice Stadium, spread across conservative social media.

It was much the same two weeks earlier when the GOP frontrunner attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in New York, bumping his fist and waving at the crowd as he entered Madison Square Garden as if he were one of the fighters, with an entourage that including musician Kid Rock, UFC president Dana White and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Although Trump has spent less time campaigning in early voting states than many of his Republican primary rivals, his campaign is filling his schedule with appearances at major sporting events, including Saturday's UFC fight in Las Vegas. Videos of his performances routinely receive hundreds of thousands of views on social media, especially on non-political channels including popular online sports channels and fan sites. And they are much easier and cheaper to produce than campaign rallies.

It's a strategy that, aides say, pits him against potential voters who may not closely follow politics or engage with traditional news sources. And it's part of a broader effort to expand Trump's appeal among young people and minority voters, especially Latino and black men. The campaign hopes to win in larger numbers after winning in 2020. The UFC's fan base in particular consists largely of men.

Aides insist that Trump is a die-hard sports fan who often attended fights and games long before he ran for the White House and would attend even when he was not active. He is a special enthusiast of boxing and other martial arts. During a summer appearance on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast, Trump recalled his favorite fights from decades ago, blow by blow.

In the 1980s, he befriended boxing legends like Mike Tyson and promoter Don King when he organized high-profile fights at his Atlantic City casinos and became so involved in professional wrestling that he starred in WrestleMania 23's “Battle of the Billionaires.” At the time, he owned the New Jersey Generals, a professional team that played in the NFL-rival United States Football League.

In recent years he has become especially tied to mixed martial arts and its machismo. He is close personal friends with White, the founder of UFC, who spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016 and 2020 and credits Trump with saving the sport by organizing fights when others shunned it as too violent.

Campaign aides often watch fights late at night aboard Trump's private plane as he returns to Palm Beach, Florida, following the events and streaming fights on ESPN+ or DAZN.

Trump has also received support from the sport's stars, including Colby Covington, who will fight Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title on Saturday night. Covington said this week that organizers rejected his request to have Trump walk to the octagon. But Trump could still get a role if he wins.

“He's going to put that belt around me,” Covington told reporters Thursday, wearing a suit jacket signed by Trump with the former president's mug shot on the back. “It will be a spectacle.”

There is, of course, a long history of sports in presidential politics. Candidates have used them to project an image of strength and decisiveness, endear themselves to voters and appear more approachable.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss wrote about how Theodore Roosevelt was often depicted boxing, horseback riding, and walking, while John Kennedy swam, sailed, and played despite serious injuries sustained during the war. Richard Nixon “went out of his way” to emphasize his football and baseball fandom as he tried to woo working-class voters, while George W. Bush famously threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the first World Series game in New York after September 11. , in an attempt to signal to nervous Americans that life would go on after the terror attack.

Trump's team sees the appearances as a way to connect with sports fans, signaling he shares their interests, and a way to show a different side of the embattled politician, who has been indicted four times and usually seen on the news from behind a TV. collection of lectern. They also hope to capitalize on his celebrity history and his relationships with business and entertainment figures.

When Trump attends an event like Saturday's fight, “the audience will see him through an unvarnished filter untainted by news media and political bias,” said his spokesman Steven Cheung, who previously worked for UFC himself. “It gives us a great opportunity to connect with voters who, quite frankly, are turning away from a lot of traditional news outlets.”

Jeffrey Montez de Oca, professor of sociology and founding director of the Center for Critical Sport Studies at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, said politicians “use sports all the time and are used to connecting with regular people.” as to 'projecting strength and power'.

Sports, he said, generate “powerful emotions” that grip fans and “make you feel like you are part of something much bigger than yourself” – emotions that politicians try to harness.

“When Trump walks into that room, he can participate in the general feeling that is in that room. The love, the enthusiasm, the feeling of connection with the sport, with the athletes, sticks to him,” he said.

Kyle Kusz, a professor at the University of Rhode Island who studies the link between sports and the far right, recalled how Trump aligned himself with sports figures during his 2016 campaign, featuring with basketball coach Bobby Knight, who was fired for insulting conduct, and called on Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who was fired in connection with the child sex abuse scandal involving his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, among others. He noted that they were all white men whose diehard fans saw them as unfairly victimized.

Sports stars were among the few celebrities in 2016 willing to campaign with Trump, who was shunned by the Hollywood establishment.

This time, Trump's appearances are part of a broader effort by the former president's team to reach out to non-traditional media outlets, including YouTube shows and podcasts like “UFC Unfiltered,” which can bring in millions of views. The appearances allow Trump to reach listeners who may be turned off by mainstream media and politics and get their news from alternative sources.

They have also tried to harness the power of social media by creating their own viral moments. His team realized early on that the video of Trump's interactions with supporters had special attention, and now often organizes stops where he has passed out Blizzards at Dairy Queen or tossed signed footballs into the crowd at an Iowa fraternity house.

The scenes also provided contrast, first with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once seen as Trump's main rival who is often criticized for appearing wooden and awkward at public events, and now with President Joe Biden, as both men prepare for a widely expected rematch at the general election. Biden has largely avoided campaign events, holding just one rally: his campaign launch event.