President-elect Donald Trump and Joe Rogan were all smiles when they were reunited Saturday at UFC 309, and their intimate conversation has been revealed by an expert lip reader.
This inside look into how the men feel about one another comes after Rogan hosted Trump last month on his podcast and later endorsed him thanks to some convincing from Elon Musk, who is himself a close ally to Trump.
Jeremy Freeman, a certified expert at lip reading, evaluated the footage of the brief chat between the fighter-turned-podcaster and the businessman-turned-politician.
Based on the affable body language alone, one could assume that the interaction between the two men was gushing – but the words added conveys a whole new level dimension to their relationship.
It starts when Trump approached the UFC broadcast team, which included Rogan.
Trump said ‘there he is’ before mouthing a long ‘J’, Freeman told DailyMail.com. He then made a beeline for Rogan.
After shaking hands with commentator Jon Anik, Trump hugged Rogan and talked directly into his ear. Due to the camera angle, it was impossible for Freeman to decipher what was being said.
After the two broke their hug, Rogan responded, ‘Sure, absolutely, absolutely fine, very happy to,’ per Freeman’s analysis.
President-elect Donald Trump and Joe Rogan smile at one another as they are about to hug. UFC commentator Jon Anik is seen behind Trump
UFC commentator and former MMA fighter Daniel Cormier (left) joined in on the friendly chat between Trump and Rogan. Trump apparently said to Cormier: ‘Isn’t Joe great?’
The ‘very happy to’ bit could suggest Trump had been thanking Rogan for inviting him on the Joe Rogan Experience.
The groundbreaking episode aired less than two weeks before Election Day and has racked up more than 50 million views, a feat that certainly expanded Trump’s reach throughout the country.
When Trump addressed the third commentator on the panel, Daniel Cormier, he reportedly said: ‘Isn’t Joe great?’
Cormier, a former MMA fighter, said, ‘Oh, yes he is,’ according to Freeman.
Rogan appeared to say ‘thank you.’
Jeremy Freeman, a certified expert at lip reading, evaluated the video of Donald Trump and Joe Rogan interacting at UFC 309
Seconds later, Trump and Rogan embraced again and resumed their chat. With the back of his head to the camera, Trump’s words were again obscured.
As they shook hands once more, Freeman believes Rogan told Trump: ‘Thank you … I won’t forget it, thank you.’
Trump appearing at last night’s UFC event marked his first return back to Madison Square Garden since his controversial rally there featuring insult comic Tony Hinchcliffe.
While speaking, Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico was a ‘floating island of garbage,’ triggering a bipartisan freak-out among Democrats and Florida Republicans, who have one of the largest Puerto Rican constituencies in the country.
Trump is pictured with campaign donor and confidante Elon Musk and his longtime friend Dana White, who is the CEO of UFC
Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Mike Johnson and Vivek Ramaswamy are seen at UFC 309
Eric Trump, Mike Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard look on at UFC 309
Some even worried that the joke would hurt Trump in the all-important state of Pennsylvania, which like Florida, has a huge Puerto Rican voting population.
Trump won Pennsylvania and managed to expand his appeal to Latino voters, despite the social media firestorm against Hinchcliffe by celebrities.
Trump arrived at the famous New York City arena alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elon Musk and Dana White, the chief executive of UFC and a longtime friend of the soon-to-be president.
Others from Trump’s circle also made appearances, including his appointee to the Department of Government Efficiency, Vivek Ramaswamy.
Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric were seen behind their father’s entourage.
Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard as well as Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, were also spotted in the crowd.
Fans went wild for the president-elect, who performed his YMCA dance for the delighted crowd and was also received with a tribute video that congratulated him on his electoral victory.