Trump Poses With UFC Fighter Known For Virulently Homophobic Rant

Ahmad Austin Jr.Feb 9th, 2024, 2:18 pm
 
Sean Strickland and Donald Trump

Twitter

Donald Trump met with controversial UFC star Sean Strickland on Thursday when the two had a brief conversation before posing for a photo op.

Strickland has been in the national spotlight recently after using a UFC press conference to go on an obscene rant about gay and trans people. While he’s facing intense backlash for his comments on the LGBTQ community, UFC president Dana White has remained adamant that the middleweight fighter will suffer no consequences for it.

“Ten years ago, to be trans was a mental fucking illness; and now, all of sudden, people like you have fucking weaseled your way in the world. You are an infection. You are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the world is because of fucking you,” Strickland told a reporter in January.

On Thursday, Strickland and Trump got together while the former president was enjoying his near-unanimous victory in the Nevada Republican Caucus. The two men squared up with one another for a photo the same way professional fighters do for promotional material.

After meeting with the president, Strickland elaborated on the experience on social media.

“After 3 years of being told Americans are bad, it is refreshing to see someone celebrate this country and its citizens,” Strickland said in the post. “I bleed red white and blue. There was a time we all did. I’m still waiting for the day we end the race, gender and income propaganda to finally realize we’re all Americans in this together.”

Trump also mentioned Strickland in a speech that night.

“If you like to fight, if you want to fight, you can fight this guy,” he said about Strickland. “He’s available, but it’s not going to last long. You won’t do very well. Sean Strickland. You don’t want to fight him.

“Where’s Sean? He’s a nasty looking guy. Look at those ears. Would you look at those ears? I looked at him, I said, ‘I want no part of him.’ Thank you very much, Sean. We appreciate it.”

The 32-year-old fighter has been open about his past as a neo-Nazi, saying the movie America History X led to him “worshipping” the ideology. He was even kicked out of school for hate crimes.

Strickland blames his rough childhood for the fact that was easily drawn into the ideology as a kid, but now claims he no longer harbors those views.

Tags: