New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers indirectly clapped back at critics who had accused him of rebuffing former President Donald Trump at Saturday’s UFC event.
On Sunday, the NFL star posted a photo of himself on Instagram Stories shaking hands with the former president the previous evening, with the caption “Priceless.”
The picture appeared to be a response to left-wing schadenfreude and conservative backlash after a video clip showed Rodgers remaining seated as Trump made his way through the crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for UFC 302.
The video showed Trump walking by Rodgers, who wore a New York Yankees cap while seated next to his former Green Bay Packers teammate Marcedes Lewis.
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Many social media commenters viewed the incident as a snub and reacted by either mocking Trump or slamming Rodgers.
Hater Aaron Rodgers remains in his seat and ignores President Trump as he walks by tonight at #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/eT5Svx4Wtf
— The Postman (@officalpostman) June 2, 2024
Aaron Rodgers remains in his seat and ignores Convicted Felon Trump as he walks by tonight at the UFC fight. pic.twitter.com/NvkXhqOJxH
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 2, 2024
He’s jealous
— KayDreamer (@kaydreamer11) June 2, 2024
However, the photo that Rodgers shared on social media the following day debunked the claims that he had snubbed Trump.
No, Aaron Rodgers did not snub President Trump. They met and shook hands. Rodgers called the moment “priceless”. pic.twitter.com/6O9ZcPNrPT
— Bad Hombre (@joma_gc) June 2, 2024
Since then, some Trump supporters and media outlets backtracked on their initial assertions.
#UPDATE: Turns out Aaron didn’t shade #DonaldTrump at UFC 302 Saturday night. Instead, it seems he got a little face time with the former prez — posting a pic to IG where he’s shaking his hand. So, seemingly no beef between them.
Read more 👉 https://t.co/nd5KaECcy0
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 2, 2024
On Saturday, Trump was greeted with thunderous cheers and applause at UFC 302, where lightweight champ Islam Makhachev defeated challenger Dustin Poirier.
🚨 BREAKING: Donald Trump walks into UFC 302 in New Jersey just days after being convicted 10 miles away in New York — Crowd ROARS 🔥pic.twitter.com/Da9sKhNiMo
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 2, 2024
🚨UFC fighter Kevin Holland instantly runs to Trump after being declared the winner pic.twitter.com/AgtSTUSdfm
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 2, 2024
BREAKING: Former UFC champion Sean Strickland shouts out Trump in his post-fight victory speech.
“President Trump, you’re the man… It is a d*mn travesty what they are doing to you. I’ll be donating to you, my man.” pic.twitter.com/M8YQ3jpyTX
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) June 2, 2024
By now, the public is used to left-wing activists and the liberal media spouting anti-Trump fake news.
But it was disappointing to see Trump supporters jump the gun and rip Rodgers after misinterpreting a brief, decontextualized video clip.
It’s unknown if the 2010 Super Bowl champ will vote for the former president in November. He has voiced strong support for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
However, even if Rodgers is not a Trump supporter, it’s absurd to trash him when he has been a valiant and outspoken critic of draconian vaccine mandates and other coronavirus tyranny.
If conservatives want to win elections, they must stop the petty infighting and come together to crush Democrats and their destructive, anti-American agendas.
