Dana White Pitches White House UFC Event as His Idea, Promises Greatest Fight Card Ever

UFC CEO Dana White said on Tuesday's episode of "The Katie Miller Podcast" that he proposed holding a UFC event on the White House lawn and stands by his friendship with President Donald Trump.

Trump plans to host the event to mark the United States' 250th birthday. White called it the greatest fight card ever assembled.

Trump has drawn criticism from both political sides since his inauguration. White dismissed concerns about blowback on his business.

Podcast host Katie Miller, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, asked if White's support for Trump had cost UFC business at home or abroad.

"I don't give a s---. I don't know the answer to that question," White replied. "I've gotten to a point in my life, especially after COVID and all the nutty sh-- that went on during that time, that I only want to be in business with and talk to people that I'm aligned with."

White described a friendship with Trump that includes disagreements, such as over the best movie in the Rocky series.

"I think when somebody is president, they're going to do things you agree with and things you don't agree with. But you're not in that position, and whoever is the president, is," he said. "And at the end of the day, my relationship with him, we're friends. And you don't always agree with the friends on lots of things, but it doesn't mean you don't be friends with them anymore."

"He's a great guy," White added. "He's a great human being. He has a great family. I love his family. Ivanka and Jared are two of the greatest people you'll ever meet. So I don't really get into any of that stuff. As friends, I would say. The biggest but weirdest thing we've ever disagreed on is the best ‘Rocky' movie."

White said Trump first suggested the White House event during a fight. "The president did. We were at a fight, and he leans over and says, ‘We should do a fight at the White House,’ and I said, ‘Yes, yes we should.’"

On tickets, White said, "So there's allotments. Obviously, the president has the most. I have 200. Ari Emanuel has 200. And, you know, we sent out invitations to people that we wanted to invite." He added that world leaders and many military members would attend. "The president wants all the branches of the military represented at the fight. And, so more military people will be there than actual invites."