College wrestling champions rallied around President Donald Trump during the 2024-25 NCAA wrestling championships on Saturday.
The president entered the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday evening around 7 p.m. in Philadelphia to loud chants of “USA! USA! USA!” The tightly-packed arena erupted in to chants as Trump entered, according to pool reports, and Trump waved his hand and pumped his fist in response.
The president sat in the front row of the event to watch the wrestling matches take place. Photos and videos captured by attendees, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, show the wrestling competitors posing for photos with the president.
One of these photos shows Trump pretending to wrestle Nebraska wrestler Caleb Smith, who beams for the photo next to the president. In a separate video, Penn State’s Carter Starocci shakes hands with the president after winning his 5th NCAA D1 Wrestling Championship.
Leavitt also posted a video of an unnamed wrestler shaking hands with Trump while wearing a “dark MAGA” hat, captioning her video: “Win National Championship. Throw on your dark MAGA hat. Shake hands with your favorite President.”
Coolest. President. Ever. pic.twitter.com/Q616mSW5vo
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 23, 2025
1 selfie. 2 champions! pic.twitter.com/mEW9MdTj2h
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) March 23, 2025
“President Trump walks out to USA chants and a standing ovation in Philadelphia for the NCAA wrestling championships,” said Outkick founder Clay Travis, who flew on board Air Force One as part of the travel pool and interviewed the president. “Awesome scene. Sold out arena. Electric environment.”
President Trump walks out to USA chants and a standing ovation in Philadelphia for the NCAA wrestling championships. Awesome scene. Sold out arena. Electric environment. pic.twitter.com/8FIOhhEby8
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 22, 2025
Attendees cheer as US President Donald Trump arrives to watch the men’s NCAA wrestling competition at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The president will fly back to the White House on Saturday evening. He was joined at the event by Travis, Leavitt, former WWE executive turned Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, and others.
“We’re going to the big fight,” Trump said of the event on Friday, speaking with reporters at the White House. “They have the NCAA, world, wrestling for college. And I’ve always supported the wrestlers.”
“So, I want to support them,” he added. “These are the great college wrestlers from the various schools. I think Penn State is leading, and Nebraska is in second place right now. And a lot of good things.”
