Aaron Rodgers has posted a picture of himself shaking Donald Trump's hand at UFC 302 - hours after being accused of snubbing the former US President.
"Pic with President Trump - priceless," Rodgers' post was captioned on his Instagram story, which dispelled speculation. The New York Jets quarterback appeared to make no move to acknowledge Trump, choosing to remain seated as he passed by him.
The ex-President entered the arena in New Jersey to applause, with many attendees shaking his hand and greeting him on his way to his seat. He even had a chat with Joe Rogan, a UFC podcaster and presenter, before settling down.
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However, as Trump walked past Rodgers, flashing a smile in his direction, the NFL star remained impassive, seemingly making a statement about his opinion of the former President. Rodgers was once considered as a running mate for one of Trump's election rivals, Robert F Kennedy Jr, until he realised that would mean hanging up his football boots.
RFK Jr is running as an independent candidate in this year's election and could potentially draw a significant portion of Trump's public support. Yet Rodgers has quashed those theories by posting a picture of him shaking hands with Trump.
Trump's appearance at UFC 302 came hot on the heels of his conviction on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. He labelled the verdict a 'disgrace' and vowed to appeal against his conviction. This makes Trump the first American President to be convicted in a criminal court. His sentencing is set for July 11, just a few weeks before his scheduled debate with Joe Biden.
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Despite his eventful week, the 45th President seemed to be in high spirits at the event - sharing a table with UFC president Dana White for the main card and mingling with Sean Strickland, Kevin Holland and even Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Trump is currently leading the race to become President in 2025, ahead of Joe Biden, setting up a potential rematch of the 2020 election. Rodgers has previously expressed both positive and negative views about Trump, while not being particularly fond of current president Biden.
After briefly contemplating a political career, Rodgers will now take a six-week break before returning to the Jets for what could be his final year in the NFL. Rodgers sat out of what almost the entire 2023 season, after suffering a season-ending injury just four plays into his first game with the team after joining from the Green Bay Packers.