Donald Trump gets standing ovation at New Jersey UFC fight days after former president's historic felony convictions

Donald Trump was given a standing ovation as arrived at UFC 302 in New Jersey - just days after he became a convicted felon.

The president's 34 convictions did nothing to dim the excitement of around 17,000 fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, who were on their feet with excitement as the guest of honor entered the arena Saturday night.  

Trump, who served as US president from 2017-20, was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, as a jury reached a verdict in his hush money trial.

And he was seen at Newark's Prudential Center on Saturday around 10pm ET with UFC boss Dana White. 

He got a loud ovation as he entered the arena, according to Mail Sport's Leocciano Callao.

Chants of 'USA, USA!' broke out, after Trump followed the entrance of fighter Sean Strickland.

As he walked into the arena, Trump was greeted by popular comedian Theo Von, who eagerly shook the president's hand. Trump smiled at Von and affectionately patted him on the shoulder.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was also in attendance, appeared on the screen and received a standing ovation.

Chants of 'we want Trump' and 'f**k Joe Biden' reverberated throughout the crowd. 

Dana White conducted Trump through the crowd. Spectators cheered and applauded the former president. 

As Trump walked down the path near the ring, people leaned out of their chairs to shake his hand. 

Without breaking his stride, Trump turned and high fived and shook the hands of his enthusiastic supporters. 

The camera remained close to Trump's face, which by turns smiled and displayed a grateful expression. 

At one point, the president paused and shook his fist in the air in a jubilant manner. The din of the applause was deafening.

Before sitting down, Trump waved at various members in the crowd and repeatedly mouthed 'thank you' to his ardent fans. 

Spectators in at the Prudential Center didn't look ready to sit down. A while after Trump entered, many of the people in the audience remained on their feet, cheering and filming videos of him on their phones.

 'Well you had a sneaking suspicion that former president Trump would be in the building for UFC 302,' the commentator narrated.

'Boy, the round of applause he's getting right now...' the other commentator said in disbelief. 

The jury in Trump's trial found he illegally influenced the 2016 election by hiding a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels - who has claimed to have a consensual sexual encounter with Trump a decade prior (Trump has denied that).

Each count carries a possible maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.

Trump will be sentenced by on July 11, although a custodial sentence is unlikely to follow.

He is the first president in US history to be convicted of a felony and raged against the 'rigged' trial, which he claims was politically-motivated as his 2024 re-election campaign continues to gather steam.

Trump raised an astonishing $52 million in donations to his White House campaign in the 24 hours following the guilty verdicts, suggesting many of his supporters agree that his convictions were unfair.

He faces three other criminal trials for mishandling classified documents, trying to influence the result of the 2020 election and stoking the January 6 riots. 

MORE TO FOLLOW