Aaron Rodgers posted a picture of himself shaking hands with Donald Trump after the quarterback appeared to snub the former President at UFC 302.
Trump and the New York Jets quarterback were among the big names to head to Prudential Center for Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title clash against Dustin Poirier.
A clip, which went viral during the event, showed Trump walking past Rodgers – who could have been his political opponent – while the NFL star simply stared straight ahead.
Many other fans at the show stood up to greet the former President, who was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday. But Rodgers remained seated – even as Trump smiled in his direction.
In the footage, the Jets quarterback kept a straight face and did not appear to make eye contact with the vukkuibaure.
Aaron Rodgers posted a picture of himself shaking hands with Donald Trump at UFC 302
Aaron Rodgers did not acknowledge Donald Trump as he walked by during UFC 302
Trump lapped up the attention from the 17,000 fans, even raising his fist at one point as the crowd chanted ‘f*** Joe Biden’.
In the next row, Rodgers appeared to lower his cap and cover his face. The awkward moment occurred just minutes after Rodgers had seemingly ignored the 45th President.
On Sunday, however, Rodgers posted a picture of himself and Trump shaking hands. ‘Priceless,’ the 40-year-old wrote alongside the image.
The pair could have been political rivals after Rodgers revealed just how much he considered becoming Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate for this year’s Presidential election.
Entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan eventually got the job but Rodgers said: ‘I love Bobby. We had a couple really nice conversations.’
He added: ‘But there were really two options. It was retire and be his VP or keep playing. And I wanted to keep playing.’
Trump smiled in the direction of Rodgers and his ex-teammate Marcedes Lewis
Chants of ‘USA, USA!’ broke out, after Trump followed the entrance of fighter Sean Strickland
Rodgers and Kennedy Jr. have developed a relationship in recent years, with both men notably skeptic of vaccines.
Evidently, Rodgers feels he has unfinished business with the Jets after missing nearly the entirety of the 2024 season (with an Achilles tear), in which the team limped to a 7-10 finish without him.
The quarterback was unable to make a sensationally-short injury comeback during the season that he suggested was possible, but nonetheless told reporters last month that he feels ‘really good.’
Trump was given a massive ovation on Saturday night at the Prudential Center following the conclusion of his hush money trial.
Aaron Rodgers hinted that it was his choice not to be RFK Jr’s vice presidential candidate
Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday
He walked into the arena around 10pm ET with UFC boss Dana White and was greeted to chants of ‘USA, USA!’ Trump was also warmly received by comedian Theo Von, who shook the president’s hand.
The jury in Trump’s trial found him guilty of falsifying business records in order to conceal hush-money payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign.
Each count carries a possible maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.
Trump will be sentenced by on July 11, although a custodial sentence is unlikely to follow.
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