Photos: Mike Johnson’s UFC Night Out With Trump, RFK Jr., and Elon Goes Viral for All the Wrong Reasons
President-elect Donald Trump made a spectacular return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, proving once again that he’s not just a former president — he’s the people’s “champ.” The crowd went wild as Trump strutted into the UFC 309 fight, walking to Kid Rock’s “American Badass,” flanked by an entourage that screamed power, influence, and star power.
Among the impressive figures standing with Trump were billionaire Elon Musk, UFC CEO Dana White, his son Donald Trump Jr., conservative heavyweights like Dan Bongino and Tulsi Gabbard, and even the head of HHS nominee, Robert Kennedy Jr.
But, of course, it was Speaker of the House Mike Johnson who ended up being the center of attention — for all the wrong reasons.
While Trump and his crew are known for their larger-than-life personas, Johnson stuck out like a sore thumb in the photos. Fans took to social media to laugh at the sight of the speaker in the midst of such a high-profile group. One person tweeted, “He wants to be one of the guys so bad,” pointing out how out of place Johnson seemed in this elite circle.
It’s clear Trump has a plan — keep your enemies closer, and make sure they’re seen with you even in the most exclusive of settings. Tulsi Gabbard could probably take down opponents in the octagon, RFK Jr. is built for it, and Elon and Trump exude alpha energy wherever they go. But poor Mike Johnson? He just couldn’t blend in. As fans jokingly said, “He just wants to be in the cool club badly but it’s not going to work out.”
Photos:
Johnson may have been hoping for some of the star power to rub off on him, but he’s got a long way to go before he’s part of this legendary crew.
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Mark Van der Veen offers some of the most analytical and insightful writings on politics. He regularly opines on the motives and political calculations of politicians and candidates, and whether or not their strategy will work. Van der Veen offers a contrast to many on this list by sticking mainly to a fact-based style of writing that is generally combative with opposing ideologies.
Eh, let the man be. Even if he doesn’t undork himself (and I’m not convinced he needs to), he was there and working with the incoming administration, which is more than we can say for a lot of Republicans.