Saturday’s UFC clash between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor was highly touted, but the unexpected interaction between former President Donald Trump and controversial actor Mel Gibson stole the show.
As Trump was being escorted into UFC 264 by Dana White, the former president was met by a stoic salute from Gibson as the other 20,000 people in the crowd offered a mix of loud jeers and cheers. After video caught Gibson giving Trump the symbolic military gesture, the clip rapidly spread on social media.
Yup it’s Mel Gibson pic.twitter.com/0ELAtdiSbq
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) July 12, 2021
It was later confirmed by Getty Images that Gibson was indeed at the UFC event, wearing a black polo as shown in the video clip. Just like that, a simple salute from Gibson turned into one of the most-watched videos featuring the What Women Want star in years.
Gibson has not been vocal about his support for Trump the way some in Hollywood have, such as Jon Voight, Roseanne Barr, or James Woods. In fact, Gibson previously criticized Trump for running a presidential campaign on “building walls.” But the actor’s previous portrayal as The Patriot led many on social media to connect him with the MAGA crowd.
Gibson also built a strong following among conservative Christians after directing The Passion of the Christ in 2004. His career hit a drastic lull two-years later, when Gibson was pulled over for driving under the influence and directed anti-Semitic remarks at the arresting officer. “F*cking Jews…the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?” Gibson said.
