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April 10, 2023

Crowds erupted in cheers for Donald Trump in attendance at a Mixed Martial Arts tournament

By Rajan Laad

The late, great Rush Limbaugh always said that the primary goal behind the relentless and baseless media campaigns against President Trump was to drive a wedge between Trump and his supporters.

Before Trump, the media always controlled the narrative against Republicans. 

Most Republicans lived in perpetual fear that they could be the subject of a hit piece in the New York Times or on MSNBC. 

The Democrats and their P.R. wing that masquerades as the mainstream news media destroyed the presidential candidacies of both John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012.

The hit jobs were the usual: both men were called rich, out of touch, insensitive, bigoted, etc.  This was in addition to various malicious and spurious whisper campaigns. 

The constant media attacks on President George W. Bush drove his approval numbers down to the lower 30s.

Numerous other Republicans were smeared and destroyed by the Democrat-Media complex, too.

The primary reason the smear campaigns worked is that these leaders had no connection with the voters.  Most of them were nominated because it was their turn in the order of seniority, or perhaps they were propped up by the powers that be.

But with Trump, it was different.

Trump wasn't propped up by the media or the D.C. establishment; in fact, they ridiculed his campaign launch in 2015.

Trump's popularity was driven by the grassroots MAGA movement that he led.

The bond with his base remains unbreakable because of what he stands for and how he delivered prosperity in the U.S. and peace around the world as president.

The media and the D.C. establishment didn't create the bond between Trump and his supporters by pushing hagiographical narratives the way they did with Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

Hence, they cannot break the bond, irrespective of how hard they try.

Trump's supporters understand that the relentless and unfair attacks against Trump are because he dared to challenge the D.C. establishment.  They know they are next in line for a similar treatment.  They know of the inhuman treatment meted out against the January 6 protesters.

Trump's supporters also rejoiced in the fact that for the first time, a Republican was fighting back against the tyranny of the media. 

Previously, Republicans chose to remain silent in hope that the attacks would stop.  Trump fights back and fights hard, giving it as good as he gets and doing it with a sense of humor.

They also realize that Trump is the rare modern politician who lost financially and socially after he got into politics.

Had Trump not been a Republican politician who stood for the MAGA agenda, he would doubtless be living a life of peace and prosperity.  He would be striking lucrative deals for the Trump empire in the U.S. and beyond.  He would have been rubbing shoulders with the powerful elites who now despise him. 

But today, he is despised by a significant section of the population.  He and even his family are targets of attacks. 

There are probably some in the echo chamber who secretly admire him but dare not express their admiration aloud for the reason that they will be attacked.  Prof. Alan Dershowitz spoke about being shunned and attacked by his friends for defending Trump on principles.

Beyond the social shunning, Trump also faces multiple baseless probes, the goal of which is to send him to prison for the rest of his life.  This is sinister.

If Trump had quit politics after leaving the White House in January 2021, these attacks may have stopped. 

The people see these sacrifices and are greatly appreciative.

We saw evidence of that recently.

A few days after President Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records around hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, he attended a mixed martial arts tournament in his home state of Florida.

President Donald Trump was greeted by copious cheers as he sat in the front row at UFC 287 on Saturday night when he entered the arena.

The cheers continued as he sat alongside boxing legend Mike Tyson, rock star Kid Rock, and UFC president Dana White to watch the match.  President Trump has been friends with UFC president White and has attended numerous events staged by the mixed martial arts promotion.

That wasn't the only love Trump received that day.

UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal, dubbed "The King of Miami" after his match, was interviewed by podcaster, comedian, and UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

Masvidal announced he will be retiring from MMA after a 20-year career.  Then he took the mic to give a shoutout to President Trump.

"I wanted to say, greatest president in the history of the world sitting right there," he said, pointing at the ex-president, as the Florida crowd erupted in cheers.

"I love that guy," he added.

He then summoned the people in attendance to continue chanting "Let's go Brandon" — to which they happily obliged.

"And let's take back  — you know who, Let's go Brandon motherf-----...replace him!" 

"Let's go Brandon" dates back to 2021, when an NBC reporter interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown mistook the crowd chanting "F--- Joe Biden" as "Let's Go, Brandon."

The phrase has since become a sly euphemism for Trump-supporters that can be used without being profane or crude.

Masvidal wasn't the only fighter to shower attention on President Trump.

Kevin Holland after winning his contest swiftly leaped over the barriers of the right to greet and shake hands with President Trump.

The Democrats probably hoped that their relentless attacks will not only break the bond between Trump and his supporters, but also scare others to hobnob with Trump for the fear of being targets themselves.

The display yesterday proves that the campaigns are not working.

Don't be too surprised if Kevin Holland and Jorge Masvidal are branded as white supremacists and UFC is branded a sport for neo-Nazis.

However, the display of popular support will do nothing to stop Trump from being a target of the relentless witch hunt driven by the Democrats.  In fact, enraged and frustrated Democrats will be determined to escalate their attacks on President Trump.

Hopefully, the GOP in D.C. and beyond will learn from the fighting spirit at the UFC and give the Democrats a taste of their own medicine by probing them from their toenails to the last follicle on their heads.

Postscript: Two years ago at the UFC, Trump received loud cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd.  Among them was Hollywood Superstar Mel Gibson, who saluted President Trump.

Image: Twitter screen shot.

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