Several months ago, UFC President Dana White stood in front of the Grand Old Party (GOP) Republican National Convention and praised Donald Trump in a deafening speech.
Over the course of four minutes, White boomed praise for Trump into his microphone and spoke of the republican nominee as a “fighter and I know he will fight for this country.” He repeatedly praised the candidate’s business savvy and rehashed the tale of Trump’s magnanimous support for the UFC during the promotion’s dark age.
While various notable combat sports figures have voiced support for Trump’s campaign, including Chael Sonnen, Miesha Tate, Tito Ortiz, and Chris Weidman, none were as significant as White’s brash support for the highly controversial candidate. As the president of an organization with a significant percentage of Latin Americans and Muslim fighters (segments that Trump has repeatedly insulted), White’s vocal support for Trump sent a powerful message as to the UFC’s stance on the rights of minorities.
On Tuesday afternoon, White added to his already infamous RNC speech during an episode of UFC Unfiltered, where he delved into the ongoing presidential elections with podcast hosts Jim Norton and Matt Sera.
“[Trump] is a friend. He’s been supportive of me and the UFC back in a time that nobody was,” said White. “Everything that has ever happened to me in my life, this guy would reach out. He’d say ‘hey man, congratulations. I always knew you’d do it.’ He is one of those kinds of guys. He is also one of those guys that if he was sitting in this room and we were hanging out, he would completely change your opinion about him.”
White added that while he doesn’t necessarily agree with all of Trump’s policies, the candidate’s antics are misunderstood.
“I don’t agree with everything he says and I think some of the things that he does say isn’t exactly what he means. ‘Let’s build a wall’ and all this stuff — what he’s really saying is all these people coming from different countries need to do it the old school way. You register and you get your paperwork done. He is talking about people that are sneaking into the country. It is like when he gets in front of the camera, he gets a little too hyped up.”
Following a swift defence of Trump, White proceeded to explain what makes the 2025 presidential election one of the most “hate-fuelled races in history.”
“It is so crazy. People are so nutty on one side or the other. If you say you’re a Trump supporter, you’re a racist. You can’t say you like Trump or Hilary. It is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Yes, you can be a supporter of whoever you want because that is what this country was f***ing built on for Christ’s sake.”
The 2025 US Presidential election will take place on Tuesday, November 8.