Viral video shows Trump appear to ignore his grandson at UFC match
A viral video posted online appears to show Donald Trump ignoring his grandson at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on Saturday night.
The footage, which cuts several times between different angles, was shared on X and shows Mr Trump shaking hands with people at the match, as well as hugging his daughter, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.
The parents were standing alongside their son, which outlets have reported was 10-year-old Joseph.
However, after that, Mr Trump then moves on to shake hands and greet others in the crowd, appearing to leave his grandson without acknowledgement.
As the former president moves to greet people in the crowd, Ivanka Trump appears to touch her son’s back while reaching for something near a table.
Despite online scrutiny of Mr Trump’s actions after the clip started to go viral on social media, there is little context surrounding the video.
TMZ theorised that Mr Trump may have just been “distracted considering everything that was going on in the moment”.
Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, wrote in an X post, “Now I see what Ivanka was so p*****. Trump blew off his own grandson while he was mugging with B List celebrities and the kid was pretty bummed out.
“This is who he really is behind the fake show.”
However, Steven Cheung, Mr Trump’s campaign communications director, told Page Six in response to this comment: “Imagine being some sad, basement-dwelling internet troll who is suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has to make up some fantasy story to bring meaning to his miserable life. Sad!”
Mr Trump and some of his family members attended a UFC 299 match in Miami over the weekend at the Kaseya Center.
After speaking to a crowd of supporters in Rome, Georgia, earlier that day, the former president made an appearance at the event on Saturday, where Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera were set to fight in the main event.
He was joined by the organisation’s president, Dana White, the Daily Express reported.
Mr Trump praised the sports event at his rally that day: “‘It’s the closest thing I can see that’s really reflective of the election process that we have in this country, the UFC fights,’ he said. “That may be a little tamer than the election business.”
“Dana White has done a great job,” he continued. “I hope he doesn’t run for office against me. He’s done a fantastic job. He likes that because it’s an easier business than politics.”
The Independent has contacted Mr Trump, Ivanka Trump and Mr Filipkowski for comment.
