UFC president Dana White values his friendship with former United States President Donald Trump very much.
Dana White Lauds Donald Trump Friendship
White has been very open about his friendship with the former United States President, despite the controversy surrounding the latter.
Speaking in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson on FOX News, White detailed how his friendship with Trump began, and how integral the New York businessman’s help played a part in making the UFC what it is today
“He’s a very very good friend of mine. Donald Trump has been such a good friend to me, since the day I met him. We originally – when we bought this company, this company had such a bad stigma attached to it and this sport, that we couldn’t even get into the venues.
“Venues didn’t want us. And Donald Trump saw that this thing could possibly be big. Plus he’s a sports guy, he loves sports. He offered us to come do the event in the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, a very fair deal, we went down there, and we did two events with him.
“He showed up for the first fight, stayed to the last fight. And you can imagine back then, Trump brand here (up) UFC brand here (low) but he took us in and he was great.
“Everything that ever happened to me in my career after that day, the first guy who reached out to me and said congratulations was Donald Trump.
“Whether it was a letter – we were on the cover of the New York Times one time – he sent me a letter saying “I always knew you were going to do it Dana, congratulations” and sent me the paper.
“Sent me a pen one time congratulating me. Always sending me something and congratulating me. A guy who was genuinely happy for your success.”
When Trump decided to run for President Of The United States, White was one of the first people Trump called to speak on his behalf at the Republican National Convention.
UFC President Dana White has never been afraid to support his friend, Donald Trump.
"Everything that ever happened to me in my career, after that day, the first guy to reach out and say congratulations was Donald Trump." pic.twitter.com/JmWhkBQUvB
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) September 27, 2022
Trump made it clear their friendship would remain unaffected should White prefer not to get involved, but White did not hesitate to back his longtime friend.
“And then came the day he was running for president, and he called me one day, he started the conversation like this, “If you don’t want to do this, I completely understand and there are no hard feelings. But I would be honored if you would speak for me at the Republican National Convention.”
“I said I’ll be there. I said, ‘You’re the best man, you’ve always been a great guy to me, you’ve been a good friend to me,’ and I spoke that day.
“And after I spoke that day for him at the convention, our friendship went to a whole other level. This guy has been so good to me its unexplainable”
White was asked about the backlash and abuse he received for supporting Trump, but in the business that White works in, he’s developed a rather thick skin in that regard.
The UFC boss said he doesn’t hate people for how they choose to vote politically, and doesn’t want to associate himself with anyone who does.
“I’m in the abuse business, we take abuse every day. You’d have to explain to me what the abuse on the Trump side would be. I get it, there’s people – this is what’s sad. Obviously I did not vote for President Biden.
“He’s my president, he’s the President Of The United States right now and I’m an American. I don’t dislike or hate anybody who voted for Biden.
“The fact that you’re the type of person who would actually hate somebody because of whop they voted for, shows me exactly who you are – I don’t want to know you anyway. You’re not my type of person and I don’t want to be friends with you either.
“The feeling is very mutual. So it’s not because of who you voted for, it’s because of how you carry yourself. Who you voted for or what you decide to do with your life means nothing to me, that’s you’re own personal choice.
“In America this is a free country and you can choose to vote or do whatever you want to do with your personal life.
