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Did Mel Gibson salute Trump at UFC 264? Controversial actor slammed after viral video

Mel Gibson was seen in the video saluting Donald Trump and Interent has gone crazy

A video from UFC 264 went viral on the internet in which director and actor Mel Gibson was spotted saluting former President Donald Trump. As soon as the Internet got hold of the video, they started slamming and making fun of Gibson.

In a clip captured over the weekend showing Trump walking past the crowd at the event, Twitter users spotted the 'Lethal Weapon' star throwing up a salute to the former president. Gibson, Trump, and other celebrities were among the large crowd at T-Mobile Arena for the highly awaited match between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. The footage was originally posted by conservative outlet 'The Columbia Bugle' on Twitter. Other videos from the event show Gibson in the same black collared shirt, and Snopes later confirmed the validity of the video.

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The Oscar-winning director has had an alleged history of racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic episodes that have been well-documented in his films, from representing a violent cop as a hero to playing the white Santa Claus of Megyn Kelly’s dreams. Gibson has remained in controversy after making a series of anti-Semitic comments over the course of several decades. He was cut from Netflix's 'Chicken Run' sequel after he was accused of making anti-Semitic comments to co-star Winona Ryder in 1995. He apparently asked her if she was an "oven dodger." The term "oven dodger" is a reference to the way Jewish inmates were killed in Nazi death camps during WWII. Ryder added that Gibson asked her gay friend: "Oh, wait, am I gonna get AIDS?" Gibson has also faced criticism for his film 'The Passion of the Christ', which was also dubbed as anti-Semitic by some.

One person tweeted, "The crazy thing is, you didn't even need to know why Mel Gibson was trending to know that he probably did something shitty. Rest in hell to his dead career." While another one said, "Mel Gibson saluting Trump shouldn't suprise anyone. Nazis salute other Nazis."

One person questioned, "Why did Mel Gibson who never served in the military salute captain bone spur who dodged the draft?" And one said, "Mel Gibson literally told his wife she'd be "r***d by a pack of [n-word]" and they still let this trash make movies and win Oscars".

Supporting Gibson, one person said, "Mel Gibson just gave the best performance of his career and it wasn’t acting. He strongly saluted President Trump. It was not only brave but, as everyone could see, it was from the heart." While another one made fun of the people canceling him and said, "Mel Gibson has a net-worth of over $400 million dollars. Good luck cancelling him."

Gibson delved into his political views during a December 2020 interview on the Fox News show 'The Ingraham Angle'. "Who the hell cares what I think? I'm not an expert — what am I qualified to talk about?" Gibson told host Laura Ingraham. "It's alright. It allows you a sense of anonymity so that in your performance you can come out and just be anything; you're not already carrying a lot of baggage. It's partially intentional. "I am politically incorrect, that's true," Gibson continued. "Political correctness to me is just intellectual terrorism. I find that really scary, and I won't be intimidated into changing my mind. Everyone isn't going to love you all the time."