Donald Trump and Marco Rubio watch UFC fights in Miami as peace talks with Iran fail | UFC

Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended a UFC event in Miami on Saturday night as peace talks with Iran collapsed on the other side of the world.

Trump entered Kaseya Center shortly after 9 p.m., accompanied by several members of his family and UFC chief Dana White, who has been a supporter of the president since his first term. Along with Rubio, sitting nearby were U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, rapper Vanilla Ice and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino.

Despite declining approval ratings and the unpopularity of the war with Iran with the American public, Trump received a rousing welcome from the crowd, with a Kid Rock song playing in the background. The president shook hands with fans, smiled for the cameras and greeted the UFC broadcast team, which included influential podcaster Joe Rogan.

While Trump was watching the evening’s fights, US vice president J.D. Vance was telling reporters that peace talks with Iran in Pakistan had failed. Trump showed no signs that the conflict in the Middle East was on his mind, and while he occasionally leaned in to talk to Rubio, he remained focused on the warriors in the cage. At one point, Rubio appeared to show the president something on his phone. After Paulo Costa defeated Azamat Murzakanov in the co-main event, the fighter approached the president to shake his hand. Trump was impressed as Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes exchanged punches in a particularly bloody brawl.

Members of the Trump family at the event included Ivanka, Tiffany and Donald Jr. They also had three children named. Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner, was with Vance in Pakistan due to failed talks with Iran.

Trump is a long-time supporter of the UFC (which has been credited with helping the promotion gain popularity among young male fans) and has announced a fight event will be held at the White House this summer to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. The event will take place on June 14, the president’s 80th birthday.

Following Saturday’s incident, White said a fight involving Hokit was added to the June card at Trump’s request.

“President Trump built half of this fight, Rogan built the other half,” White said in a video on social media. “Both men agreed and accepted the fight.”

In statements to the media, Vance said he spoke with Trump at least a half-dozen times during talks with Iran. The biggest obstacle in the negotiations is Iran’s refusal to give up its nuclear ambitions, the vice president said.

“We need to see a positive commitment.” [Iran] “They will not seek nuclear weapons and they will not seek the means to quickly obtain nuclear weapons,” he said. “That is the fundamental goal of the president of the United States, and that is what we have tried to achieve through these negotiations.”