A Bloodstained Cage

After a week spent largely out of sight but lashing out at his enemies on social media, Mr. Trump's resurfacing at a match seemed designed to provide him with a soothing balm of male aggression, musky sweat, and cheering supporters — not unlike one of his political rallies, just with shirtless fighters.

Round after round, fight after fight, Mr. Trump watched as pairs of competitors sparred in a cage covered in ads for Monster energy drinks, assorted crypto and betting sites, and Bud Light beer. The floor was stained with splotches of dried blood from the first match of the evening, when a fighter took a hard hit to the forehead.

In Pakistan, Mr. Vance did not say if the Strait of Hormuz would be open for oil traffic to pass through. White House officials did not answer questions about whether a shaky cease-fire with Tehran would hold. They all deferred to Mr. Trump to decide what was next.

As the night grew late on Saturday and the war once again seemed poised to spin out of Mr. Trump's control, the vice president departed Pakistan without an agreement. The president stayed seated in Miami, his eyes trained on the men punching and kicking each other in a bloodstained cage.