Dana White: 'I don't give a sh*t' if Trump loyalty has cost UFC business
If being in business with President Donald Trump has hurt the UFC's bottom line, Dana White couldn't care less. During Trump's two terms in office, the UFC has been front and center rallying support for the president. That has only ramped up in Trump's second term, even as one Washington Post-ABC News poll this week showed his disapproval rating hit a record high of 62% , attributed to his handling of the Iran war, the economy and cost of living.
With Trump such a polarizing figure and generally unpopular among Americans, it stands to reason that companies which align themselves with the president could face financial backlash for doing so. If so, that would potentially put the UFC at the top of the list given its unwavering support of Trump over the past decade, but White isn't the least bit concerned. "I don't give a sh*t," White said on the right-wing "Katie Miller Podcast" released Tuesday, when asked if his close relationship with Trump has cost the UFC business.
"I don't know the answer to that question. I've gotten to a point in my life, especially after COVID and all the nutty sh*t that went on during that time, that I only want to be in business with and talk to people that I'm aligned with. " More: Dana White gives account of White House Correspondents' Dinner chaos: 'It was f*cking awesome' The UFC has never been more aligned with Trump than right now, with the promotion set to host a one-of-a-kind sporting event, UFC Freedom 250 , on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14.
The idea to hold fights at the White House came from Trump while he attended a recent UFC numbered event, White said. Each time Trump has attended a UFC event since becoming president, White has given his good friend a hero's welcome with a walkout to his cageside seat, the most recent coming last month at UFC 327 from Kaseya Center in Miami. Despite these walkouts, and stumping for Trump at three separate Republican National Conventions, and playing a key role in getting him re-elected in 2024 through a strategy of interviewing with podcast influencers, White repeatedly has insisted he is not a political person, the UFC isn't political, and UFC Freedom 250 at the White House isn't a political event .
When asked if he thinks politics and sports should stay separate, White compared the current political climate in America to religion. "I would love to. I think, you know, when you think about in the 80s and 90s, religion, right?