President Donald Trump was welcomed with massive cheers in Philadelphia on Saturday while attending the NCAA Men's Division I Wrestling Championship. As he entered the Wells Fargo Arena, the crowd erupted in cheers, rising to their feet and applauding as Trump stood on the event floor for about a minute, waving to spectators.
ESPN even paused an interview with national champion Carter Starocci to broadcast the moment of Trump's arrival. As Trump took his seat the crowd chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A." Later, Starocci met with Trump, shaking hands and posing for photos alongside his newly awarded championship trophy. The crowd was uncontrollable, and their deafening cheers brought everything to a halt
Greeted in Style
Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, then shared a photo on X showing Trump playfully embracing Starocci in a wrestling pose inside the arena, captioned, "Coolest. President. Ever." Trump was joined by DOGE CEO Elon Musk and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Jordan, a two-time NCAA Division I men's wrestling champion during his time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, later worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University.
Two of the sport's top athletes were thrilled that the former president would be present for their championship match.
"We're going to put on a good show for him. Him showing up Saturday night, he's coming to watch some of the best wrestling on earth, and we're going to give that to him," Gable Steveson, heavyweight for the Minnesota Gophers, said Wednesday at a press conference the York Daily Record reported.
Trump Praised by Starocci
Penn State's Starocci, who made history on Saturday as the first five-time Division I national champion, was also excited about the president's presence at the event. "I'm looking forward to it," he told the paper on Wednesday.
"[President Trump] came to nationals my sophomore year and it was really cool. He's obviously a big fan of combat sports, he's at all the UFC events. It's good for our sport."
Since taking office, President Trump has made it a priority to attend several high-profile sporting events.
In February, Trump became the first sitting president to be present at the Super Bowl.
Later that month, the commander-in-chief attended NASCAR's Daytona 500.
Before his inauguration, Trump was also seen at the 125th Army-Navy football game in December, accompanied by political allies, and in November, he sat ringside for UFC 309.
