Dana White has been a prominent figure donald trump‘s corner in each of his last two presidential campaigns, and it should come as no surprise that the UFC boss will be by his side again.
According to Wall Street JournalWhite will speak at next week’s Republican National Convention, as he has done twice before, only this time White received the distinction as the final speech before accepting Trump’s nomination in Milwaukee.
In 2016, White attended the RNC in Cleveland, mainly talking about Trump’s character when explaining how Trump gave his support to the UFC in the early days when MMA was highly criticized for being too barbaric. White said in his speech that Trump’s “sense of loyalty and commitment will translate into how he governs this country.”
Trump defeated Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election.
In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, White gave a pre-recorded speech that aired on the final night of the RNC. At that time, White’s speech was more political in nature and he called it “Extremely important to re-elect President Trump.”
Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
Former United States President Donald Trump, UFC President Dana White and Kid Rock pose for a photo during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Since then, Trump has been mired in a plethora of scandals, led by becoming the first former US president convicted of a crime after being found guilty of all 34 charges in his “silence” New York criminal trial in May. None of Trump’s current and recent controversies – which include a indictment alleging criminal effort to overturn the 2020 election it is a civil jury finding he sexually abused Jean E. Carroll – inspired White and the UFC to distance themselves from Trump.
In fact, White and the UFC have embraced Trump even more, inviting him as a special guest to premium events four times in the past year. Trump attended UFC 290 in Las Vegas in July 2023; UFC 295 at New York’s Madison Square Garden in November 2023; UFC 299 in Miami last March; and UFC 302 in Newark, NJ on June 1, just days after his criminal conviction.
No wonder White sides with Trump once again.
