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Trump and UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida: Did Melania, Ivanka or Barron Trump attend?

Published

8 months ago

April 13, 2025

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Trump and UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida: Did Melania, Ivanka or Barron Trump attend?

President Trump walked into Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, for UFC 314 fight as Kid Rock’s ‘American Bad Ass’ was playing.

Other guests near Donald Trump’s VIP seats? Elon Musk, RFK Jr., his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, Kash Patel, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Byron Donalds.
Kai Madison Trump is the eldest child of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump. She plays golf at the Benjamin School in Florida.
Elon Musk and his son, Little X, flew to Palm Beach, Florida, on board Air Force One with Trump a day before the UFC 314 fight in Miami.

The Super Bowl. The Daytona 500. NCAA wrestling championship finals. LIV Golf Tournament. Now UFC. President Donald Trump has made high-profile sporting events part of his legacy during his second administration.

At times, members of his inner circle, including the Trump family, accompanied Donald Trump to these big events. Below is information about the games, matches or competitions he attended and who sat in the VIP box with the commander-in-chief.

Did Trump attend UFC MMA fight in Miami, Florida?

At the UFC 314 fight Saturday, April 12, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, Trump and three of his grandchildren, walked alongside UFC CEO Dana White for their big entrance into the arena. Kai Madison Trump, Donald Trump III and Spencer Trump, children of Donald Trump Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa Trump, walked out beside the president as part of his entourage. Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass” was playing.

After the fight, Trump introduced Kai Trump to a group of reporters as “the fake news” aboard Air Force One on the way back to Palm Beach, Florida, and invited them to ask her questions.

Kai Trump will graduate from the Benjamin School in 2026, where she currently plays golf with Charlie Woods, son of golf legend Tiger Woods. Sam Alexis Woods, older sister of Charlie Woods and daughter of Tiger Woods and ex-wife Elin Nordegren, also attends the Benjamin School with Kai Trump. Last month, Tiger Woods announced his relationship via Instagram (or “Instagram official”) with Vanessa Trump, mother of Kai Madison Trump, Donald Trump III, Tristan Trump, Spencer Trump and Chloe Trump.

Was First Lady Melania Trump at UFC fight in Miami, Florida, with Donald Trump?

No, First Lady Melania Trump did not attend the UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, April 12.

She also did not attend the 2025 LIV Golf Tournament festivities or activities the weekend of April 4, 2025, at any of her husband’s clubs, Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida, Trump International Palm Beach Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, or Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida.

Melania Trump also did not attend the NCAA Wrestling Championship final in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Super Bowl LIX (aka Super Bowl 59 or Super Bowl 2025) in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband, President Donald Trump.

Though Donald Trump has visited Florida 10 times since his second term started Jan. 20, 2025, Melania Trump has not accompanied him on Air Force One during any of those trips home, though a few special guests have such as Elon Musk and his son Little X, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and her father, Viktor Knavs.

Though his father and three of his children were at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, for the UFC 314 fight on April 12, 2025, Donald Trump Jr. did not attend, nor did his girlfriend, model and socialite Bettina Anderson.

Donald Trump Jr., eldest son of Donald Trump and the late Ivana Trump, attended LIV Golf Tournament festivities the weekend of April 4, 2025, and shared coverage from his VIP access to his Instagram followers.

Anderson, posted LIV Golf activity to her Instagram followers, too.

Donald Trump Jr. and Anderson did not attend the NCAA Wrestling Championship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or the 2025 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The pair did attend Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, the day they became “Instagram official.”

The couple has attended other high-profile events such as Donald and Melania Trump’s New Year’s Eve 2024 party at Mar-a-Lago and Inauguration Day festivities in Washington, D.C.

Was Ivanka Trump at UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida?

Donald Trump’s oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, did not attend the UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025, nor did she attend the 2025 LIV Golf Tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Miami, Florida, or the 2025 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Ivanka Trump did attend Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans and stood next to her father in the VIP box, posting about her trip via Instagram Story and her Instagram feed. She gave her 8.2 million followers a peek of her window-seat view (with a prompt to turn the sound up) aboard Air Force One. A former senior adviser to Donald Trump during his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021, Ivanka Trump, who’s married to Jared Kushner, brought their youngest son, Theodore James Kushner, to the Super Bowl.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are parents to three children, Arabella Rose Kushner, Joseph Frederick Kushner and Theodore James Kushner.

Was Eric Trump at UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida?

Eric Trump, youngest child of Donald Trump and the late Ivana Trump, did not attend the UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025. Of all of his children, Eric Trump has accompanied his father to most of the high-profile sporting events in this story.

For example, Eric Trump did play golf the weekend before the UFC fight alongside the pros in the LIV Golf Pro-Am Tournament at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida, teaming up with Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis and their son, Mason DeSantis, attended LIV Golf events. Fox News host Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump, posted photos of the couple and their children at LIV Golf festivities. Lara and Eric Trump also sported matching lavender purple outfits for LIV Golf at Trump National Doral Golf Club, according to her Instagram feed: “(Two purple heart emojis) We didn’t even plan it!”

Eric Trump also attended the 67th annual Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida. With him were his wife, Lara Trump, former chair of the Republican National Convention, and their two children, Luke Trump and Carolina Trump. Carolina stood on the racetrack with her famous grandfather.

Eric and Lara Trump also attended Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025, along with his father, his sister Ivanka Trump and her son Theo Kushner, and brother Donald Trump Jr. with three of his children and girlfriend Bettina Anderson.

Was Tiffany Trump at UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida?

Tiffany Trump, daughter of Donald Trump and model Marla Maples, did not attend the UFC 314 fight at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025.

She also did not attend any 2025 LIV Golf Tournament activities or festivities at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami the weekend of April 4, 2025, the NCAA Wrestling Championship final in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 2025, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2025, or Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb. 9, 2025.

Tiffany Trump and her husband, businessman Michael Boulos, are expecting their first child. The couple’s last public appearance at a Trump family event was during Donald Trump’s primetime address to Congress on March 4, 2025. Before that, it was on Inauguration Day, when her father was sworn in as the 47th president of the U.S.

Was Barron Trump at UFC fight in Miami, Florida?

Barron Trump, sole child of Donald and Melania Trump, did not attend the UFC 314 fight in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025.

He also was not at any of the golf clubs that bear his last name during the 2024 LIV Golf Tournament weekend in Florida (Trump National Golf Club in Miami, Trump National Doral Golf Club or Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach).

The youngest son of Donald Trump also did not travel to Caesars Superdome stadium in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, or to Daytona Beach, Florida, Feb. 14, 2025, for the 2025 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, or to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the NCAA Wrestling Championship final in March 2025. The 19-year-old, 6-foot-9-inch-tall Barron Trump, a freshman at New York University’s Stern School of Business, last made a public appearance when his father was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for Inauguration Day (Jan. 20, 2025).

Who is Kai Madison Trump? Where does Kai Trump go to school? Where will Kai Trump go to college?

Kai Madison Trump, Donald Trump’s oldest grandchild, is the daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump. She’s the oldest of five children and a year younger than her uncle, Barron Trump (Donald Trump Jr.’s half-brother).

She was born and mostly raised in New York, but now lives in Jupiter, Florida, with her mom and siblings: Donald Trump III, Tristan Milos Trump, Spencer Trump and Chloe Sophia Trump.

Kai Trump attends high school at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and will graduate in spring 2026. In fall 2024, Kai Trump had committed early to stay in Florida and play golf at the University of Miami after high school graduation.

During the Republican National Convention in July 2024, Donald Trump’s oldest granddaughter, Kai Madison Trump, became the first of his grandchildren to talk about what it’s like to have one of the most famous people in the world as a grandfather.

In her speech, Kai Trump mostly focused on the side of Trump that no one sees, calling him a “normal grandpa.”

Who was with Trump at UFC 314 in Miami, Florida?

At the UFC 314 fight at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, here’s who sat with President Donald Trump in the VIP seats:

Elon Musk, SpaceX and Tesla CEO who leads the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE
X Æ A-12 Musk or “Little X” Musk, son of Elon Musk and singer Grimes
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary
actress Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “A Bad Moms Christmas”), wife of RFK Jr. In a viral video, Trump was seen “ignoring” a handshake from Hines when greeting RFK.
FBI Director Kash Patel
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
Florida congressman Byron Donalds

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USF to hire Brian Hartline, one of the architects Ohio State’s ‘WRU’

Published

11 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

USF to hire Brian Hartline, one of the architects Ohio State’s ‘WRU’

One of college football’s most heralded assistants has gotten his first head-coaching job.

Ohio State offensive coordinator at wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is expected to be hired as the next head coach at South Florida, according to multiple reports on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

He’ll replace Alex Golesh, who left the Bulls to become the head coach at Auburn three days earlier.

According to Yahoo Sports, Hartline has signed a six-year deal with South Florida and will remain with Ohio State for the upcoming College Football Playoff.

Hartline has been at Ohio State since 2017 and has been instrumental in the Buckeyes’ rise as an offensive powerhouse centered around college-turned-NFL stars at wide receiver. Among the players Hartline has coached are Jeremiah Smith, Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka and Garrett Wilson. Over the past four years, five wide receivers that Hartline coached have been taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

A former Ohio State wide receiver himself, the 37-year-old Hartline is in his third season as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator. He shared the title last season with Chip Kelly when Ohio State won the national championship.

This season, with Hartline as the sole offensive coordinator, the No. 1 Buckeyes are averaging 37 points per game heading into Saturday’s Big Ten championship game against No. 2 Indiana. It’s the 13th-highest mark among 136 FBS programs.

South Florida is 9-3 this season and went 23-15 in three seasons under Golesh. Given the size of the school, the program’s location in a talent-rich state and the opening of a new stadium in the next few years, South Florida is widely considered one of the best jobs outside of the Power Four conferences.

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Five key takeaways from Florida’s 1-point loss to Duke

Published

23 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

Five key takeaways from Florida’s 1-point loss to Duke

No. 15 Florida lost a tight game against No. 4 Duke, 67-66, on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Gators were the better team for all but eight minutes of the game, but a 19-5 run from the Blue Devils to close the second half proved to be the difference. Once again, poor shooting doomed the Orange and Blue. Florida shot just 37.3% from the field and 25% from 3-point range.

Thomas Haugh did all he could to win, with 24 points, six rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. It wasn’t enough. Cameron Boozer, who looked every bit the best player in the country, matched Haugh and then some. Boozer finished with 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal.

A strong second half made things close. Boogie Fland and Alex Condon got going, offensive rebounds led to second-chance opportunities for Florida and strong defense forced more misses from Duke. The Gators took a two-point lead with 32 seconds left, but Duke returned the favor on a broken play. Urban Klavzar hadn’t left Isaiah Evans for most of the second half, but the last-minute scramble led to an open look.

Still, Florida proved that it’s still worthy of a top 10 ranking and that it can hang with the best teams in the country. It’s a work in progress, even if 5-3 looks ugly in the standings.

Someone has to help Haugh

Florida couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half, unless Thomas Haugh was shooting. Haugh played all 20 minutes before the break and scored or assisted on 19 of Florida’s 24 points. Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee went a combined 1-of-11 from the field, and the only make was a lucky roll off the back of the rim. In fact, if you take away Haugh’s shooting, the team went 4-of-26 from the field in the first half. Ugly.

Haugh can only do it by himself for so long. Eventually, Duke figured out that he was the only threat and all of Florida’s plays were designed to get Haugh driving to his right. Considering the poor shooting, it’s a miracle that Florida kept the game knotted at 19 through the first 12 minutes. The next eight minutes were all Duke. The Blue Devils went on a 19-5 run, leading by 12 at the break.

Florida should have won this game

Several little things buried Florida. Besides the forced 3-pointers, Condon was called on a lane violation to nullify a missed free throw from Cameron Boozer, and a blatant no-call on Duke goaltending was the difference on the scoreboard.

Coaches and players who point to referee errors are often labeled whiners, but sometimes it’s warranted. The ball hit the backboard and was then blocked. A year ago, a timeout gets called and the play is reviewed. The exact butterfly effect isn’t worth going into, but in a one-point loss, that moment looms large.

Of course, a better end to the first half from Florida makes all of this a non-issue.

Too little, too late from Boogie Fland

Fland was Florida’s leading scorer in the second half. Part of that is Duke adjusting at halftime to slow down Haugh, but he also seemed to find an offensive rhythm that hasn’t been present all season. He finished the day just under 50% shooting and had three steals. Four turnovers ot one assist isn’t great, but he had just one and one in the second half.

The change came once Fland stopped forcing 3-pointers. He came around screens quickly and found plenty of buckets inside the arc. For Florida to be successful, Fland must play that brand of basketball.

It’s an encouraging sign to see Fland figure it out, but it came way too late. Again, this could have been a multi-possession victory for Florida had the first half gone even a bit better.

Xaivian Lee does his Jekyll and Hyde routine

All the confidence Xaivian Lee built up in the second half against Providence might be gone. A 1-for-10 night with just one assist is not what starting point guards in the SEC do. Lee said he “was in a dark place” before that breakout game. He mustn’t return to the shadow realm.

The saying goes: play with emotion, not emotion. Lee can’t lose his “joy” every time the shots don’t fall. He was nearly a non-factor in this game, and there’s a reason Golden played Klavzar 15 minutes to Lee’s 10 in the second half. A bench role still feels right for Lee, at least until he gets his head on straight.

No shade. Adjusting to this pace is hard. But it’s what he came here to do.

Florida can win a national championship

Gator Nation is going to leave this one with a bad taste in their mouths, and rightfully so. But so-called moral victories will turn into real victories if this team continues to get better, as it has through the first month of the season.

Losing in November and December doesn’t matter if you don’t lose in March. Forget about TCU for a moment. Arizona and Duke are potential Final Four teams with elite freshman big men. The first thing Boozer said after the game was how good Florida’s frontcourt is.

It’s the backcourt that needs work, and they are improving. Back-to-back breakout games from transfers show what the Gators are capable of. If Fland plays like that for the whole game, or Lee doesn’t fall back into a slump, it’s a Florida win.

Todd Golden’s job is to get these guys firing on all cylinders before the NCAA Tournament. Seeding doesn’t matter. UConn is Florida’s last chance on the non-conference schedule to add a meaningful win. That complete team performance has to come next Tuesday.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

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Men’s ACC-SEC Challenge guide: What to watch in Duke-Florida, UNC-Kentucky, more

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1 day ago

December 2, 2025

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Men’s ACC-SEC Challenge guide: What to watch in Duke-Florida, UNC-Kentucky, more

Jeff Borzello
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Jeff Borzello
Basketball recruiting insider
Myron Medcalf
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Myron Medcalf
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ESPN Staff Writer

Dec 2, 2025, 09:15 AM ET

The 2025 ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge features a bevy of AP Top 25 men’s college basketball teams in action.

Tuesday night’s showdown between No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Florida will be the first of three ranked matchups over the two-day event, followed by No. 16 North Carolina at No. 18 Kentucky later that night then No. 6 Louisville at No. 25 Arkansas on Wednesday.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf preview six of the top games to watch over the next 48 hours below.

Tuesday games to watch

7 p.m. ET | ESPN

Syracuse had arguably the toughest draw of the Players Era Festival, finishing 0-3 against No. 8 Houston, No. 21 Kansas and No. 10 Iowa State. This game won’t be any easier. Tennessee is top-20 in offensive and defensive efficiency on KenPom and is led by shifty guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and 6-foot-10 quagmire Nate Ament, who combined to score 114 points over last week’s three games in Las Vegas. Syracuse will have to solve that riddle to have a chance in this one.

The Orange’s offense is a work in progress but leaning on pick-and-roll action — one of their greatest strengths, per Synergy Sports data — would help. — Medcalf

7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

Florida’s quest for back-to-back national championships has hit a couple of early speed bumps, losing in the season opener to Arizona and suffering an upset at the hands of TCU on Thanksgiving. Duke, meanwhile, is 8-0 after beating a ranked Arkansas team last week.

For Duke, the key will be Cameron Boozer continuing his incredible production against Florida’s elite frontcourt. His worst games have come against length — “worst” being 15 points and 12 rebounds against Texas then 18 and 11 against Kansas — and the Gators can throw plenty of size at him. On the other side, Florida has to take care of the ball. The Gators’ portal backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee hasn’t hit its stride yet, but they can’t cough it up and let Duke get out and score in transition; the Blue Devils score nearly 18 fast-break points per game, per CBB Analytics. — Borzello

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Cameron Boozer stuffs in a two-handed jam

Cameron Boozer drives to the paint and elevates for a strong dunk for Duke.

9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

In mid-November matchups against No. 6 Louisville and No. 7 Michigan State, Kentucky surrendered 179 combined points. North Carolina is also coming off a lopsided loss to Michigan in its last showing on the big stage.

Both of these teams excel offensively and defensively inside the 3-point line, but the Wildcats will need Malachi Moreno (1.1 BPG) & Co. to stall Tar Heels star freshman Caleb Wilson (19.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG) when he attacks — the projected NBA draft lottery pick has made 68% of his shots around the rim, per Synergy Sports data. — Medcalf

Wednesday games to watch

7:15 p.m. ET | ESPN

How the trio of projected first-round NBA draft picks — Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. (sixth), plus Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. (14th) and Meleek Thomas (27th) — will decide this game. They don’t have many weaknesses, but they will have to play to their strengths to help their respective teams win.

For Brown and Thomas, that means not forcing perimeter shots. Brown sometimes passes up easy drives to the rim for 3s (30.6%) while Thomas occasionally forces the same shots (34.5%) rather than rely on his explosiveness in the lane. And Acuff has been brilliant but didn’t do enough to get more shots around the rim in last week’s loss to Duke until the second half. He’ll have to get off to a faster start after missing five of his first six shots against the Blue Devils. — Medcalf

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Mikel Brown Jr.’s best Plays vs. NJIT Highlanders

7:15 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Alabama has played one of the most difficult schedules in the country, notching wins over No. 14 Illinois and No. 23 St. John’s while suffering defeats to No. 1 Purdue and No. 11 Gonzaga. But the Crimson Tide are firing on all cylinders offensively, scoring a combined 220 points in their final two Players Era games. Clemson, meanwhile, is about to see its schedule kick up another notch with a date against BYU at Madison Square Garden next Tuesday.

Pace will play a key part in this one, as Alabama loves to push the ball up the floor and bring some chaos to the game, while Clemson would prefer to have a half-court game without many turnovers. It’s hard to see the Tigers having the firepower to keep up with Nate Oats’ team, especially with the way Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway are playing. — Borzello

9:15 p.m. ET | ESPN

Both teams hit the road for marquee Feast Week tournaments, with Auburn having the better time of the two. The Tigers were destroyed by Michigan like every one of the Wolverines’ opponents en route to winning last week’s Players Era championship, but the Tigers notched double-digit wins over Oregon and St. John’s while in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, NC State suffered a surprising quarterfinal loss to Seton Hall at the Maui Invitational and gave up 102 points in a defeat to Texas.

It’s easy to make the case that Will Wade’s team needs this win more than Steven Pearl’s group. At this point in the season, both offenses are ahead of their defenses, which should make for a fun affair. The head-to-head matchup between Darrion Williams and Keyshawn Hall is as good as it gets, while the difference will be whether Tahaad Pettiford’s early-season slump is a thing of the past. He was terrific in Las Vegas, averaging 22.3 points over three games and going 7-for-14 from 3 in his past two games. — Borzello

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