President-elect Donald Trump made a high-profile appearance at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in New York City Saturday night, and sat by two of the world’s richest men in the process.
One of them was Elon Musk, who has been a near-constant presence at Trump’s side since the election. The other was Yasir Al-Rumayyan, a Saudi Arabian official who runs the country’s nearly $1 trillion Public Investment Fund.
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Al-Rumayyan is the chairman of English soccer club Newcastle United and governor of the PIF, which has been accused of funding “sportswashing” designed to improve Saudia Arabia’s image abroad.
The PIF is the main driver behind LIV Golf, a PGA Tour rival launched in 2022, and has made other moves such as signing soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to a Saudi Arabian team for $75 million a year, buying Newcastle United of the English Premier League, and establishing an annual Formula One race in Jeddah.
Activists who oppose LIV and other investments have pointed to the country’s history of human rights violations, particularly the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has touted sport as an important part of helping transform the country for the future through its Vision 2030. The fund’s assets under management totaled $930 billion as of March.
UFC is owned by another Trump supporter, Dana White. Trump is a known fan of mixed martial arts and golf.
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Trump appeared at UFC 309 inside Madison Square Garden just days after securing a historic nonconsecutive second term. Also in tow were cabinet picks including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services secretary) and Tulsi Gabbard (national intelligence director).
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and musicians Kid Rock and Jelly Roll were in attendance as well.