‘Sending a Message’: CNN Panel Reacts to Trump Showing Off His ‘Political Gladiators’ During UFC 309 Appearance
The scene at UFC 309, where Donald Trump made a grand entrance at Madison Square Garden, is drawing comparisons to the grandeur of ancient Rome. Marc Caputo, commenting on the event, likened Trump to a “Republican Caesar,” noting the significance of his entourage, composed of prominent allies, and the raucous cheers from the audience. Caputo suggested that Trump’s appearance was not merely for entertainment but also a strategic message to the Senate regarding his political power and support among the base.
The atmosphere surrounding Trump’s entry was electric, with a video showcasing his arrival alongside other key figures including Elon Musk and Tulsi Gabbard, amplifying the spectacle. The event comes on the heels of Trump’s controversial Cabinet nominations that challenge the political status quo, particularly his choice of nominees who have been critical of the “deep state.”
In the wake of his announcements, some Senate Republicans are expressing resistance to Trump’s agenda, setting the stage for potential conflicts as he attempts to push his candidates through the confirmation process. The contrasting energy at UFC 309 highlights the divide between Trump’s dynamic support base and traditional Republican establishment figures, raising questions about how the Senate will respond to the president-elect’s bold maneuvers.
President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the 2024 election has elevated him to the status of a world-historical figure.
Thus, it should come as no surprise when the president-elect draws comparisons to famous conquerors who knew how to wield the power they had earned by virtue of achieving immense popularity.
Sunday on CNN’s “Inside Politics with Manu Raju,” The Bulwark national political reporter and CNN panelist Marc Caputo likened Trump’s triumphant appearance at UFC 309 on Saturday night in New York’s City Madison Square Garden — an appearance that included an entourage of the president-elect’s highest-profile allies — to that of a “Republican Caesar” who used his “political gladiators” for the purpose of “sending a message” to the incoming GOP-controlled Senate.
“It really looks like ancient Rome here,” Caputo said in a clip posted to the social media platform X. “This is sort of a conquering, Republican Caesar, who’s going into the Colosseum, and everyone’s cheering. And he’s got his political gladiators with him.”
Then, Caputo perceptively noted the scene’s probable purpose.
“That appearance isn’t just about him enjoying the applause. He’s sending a message to the Senate. Like, ‘Not only are you entertained, but these are my people — are you willing to fight? Because here’s who I have,’” the panelist added.
In an accompanying tweet, Caputo highlighted his on-air observation by referring to Trump’s “gladiatorial message” to the Senate.
Like a Republican Caesar, Donald Trump appeared at the UFC with political allies —as thousands cheered— to send a gladiatorial message to the GOP-led Senate about his popularity with their base https://t.co/oKeO1lQQq3
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) November 17, 2024
Last week, Trump rocked the political establishment with a series of Cabinet nominations that signaled war on the entrenched deep state.
The president-elect’s choice of now-former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida as attorney general probably caused the biggest stir.
Nonetheless, establishment voices squealed like stuck pigs at the news that Trump had nominated former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, a prominent critic of the deep state’s endless regime-change wars, to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
Then, the squealing continued when Trump named former Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a fierce critic of the nation’s scientific and medical establishments, as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Those appointments of Gaetz, Gabbard and Kennedy followed an unprecedented assault on the federal bureaucracy. Earlier in the week, in fact, Trump had announced that X owner Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would team up to slash waste and fraud from federal agencies and, in so doing, restore self-government to the sovereign people.
In short, the president elect’s shock-and-awe nominations have left establishment pundits and politicians in both parties staggered.
Some Senate Republicans, in fact, have signaled their intent to resist the Trump-led revolution by opposing the president-elect’s nominees.
Thus, Trump did more than make a triumphant post-election entrance into Madison Square Garden on Saturday. He brought Musk, Ramaswamy, Gabbard, Kennedy and others with him.
Moreover, a nearly three-minute clip on X showed the president-elect’s entrance into the arena, led by UFC President Dana White, followed close behind by the Trump entourage and accompanied by the sort of deafening applause Caesar himself might have received back in his time.
Note, too, the president-elect’s embrace of supporter and mega-star podcaster Joe Rogan, an iconic figure in UFC circles.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND ELON MUSK ARE WALKING OUT WITH DANA WHITE!!! 🇺🇸#UFC309 | LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office ➡️ https://t.co/uXQAMHNTBd pic.twitter.com/VpggsWHtwZ
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) November 17, 2024
Kennedy, one of Trump’s most popular allies, joined the crowd in pumping his fist and chanting “U-S-A!”
WE’RE SOOO BACCCK!!!!!!#UFC309 🇺🇸🦅@realDonaldTrump @danawhite
@elonmusk @EricTrump @DonaldJTrumpJr @KidRock @RobertKennedyJr @TulsiGabbard @KidRock @SpeakerJohnson pic.twitter.com/ORcKXXY4Ga— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) November 17, 2024
Meanwhile, a shimmying Gabbard prompted Trump to break out his trademark “YMCA” dance.
“Tulsi knows YMCA is his jam,” one X user tweeted.
Tulsi knows YMCA is his jam 💃🕺 https://t.co/qXOCfQfUbs
— Ashley Nicole🌺 (@antiwarmisfit) November 17, 2024
Musk, of course, got a front-row seat with the president-elect. But Kennedy, Gabbard and Ramaswamy also had places of honor.
Trump, Elon, Vivek, Tulsi, RFK Jr, Dana White, and Joe Rogan at the UFC fight tonight.
America got an upgrade. pic.twitter.com/pSx53pGccD
— Being Libertarian (@beinlibertarian) November 17, 2024
Now, contrast all that public pro-Trump energy and momentum with the probable scene inside the sclerotic Senate.
Will incoming Senate majority leader John Thune of South Dakota honor his pledge to secure Trump’s nominations? Will rogue GOP senators, accustomed to their own way of doing things, resist the Trump-led revolution in self-government by blocking the president-elects’s Cabinet appointments and thereby angering the party’s base?
Whatever their response may be, the “Republican Caesar” has sent them a clear message.
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