During a conversation on The New Yorker Radio Hour, UFC CEO Dana White pushed back strongly against the idea that Donald Trump is racist or fascist, arguing that those labels are politically motivated rather than rooted in reality.
The topic came up when host David Remnick suggested that Trump’s reputation did not emerge out of nowhere and was tied to his rhetoric and the way he speaks about and treats people.
White immediately rejected that framing. “Oh, it does. It comes from politics. That’s where it comes from,” White said.
White, who has known Trump since 2001 when Trump hosted early UFC events at the Taj Mahal casino, said the public image surrounding Trump is completely different from the man he knows personally.
Reflecting on his appearances at Republican conventions, White explained that he intentionally focused on Trump as a person instead of making broader political attacks.
“I don’t ever say the left is wrong or the left is bad or the left is this,” White said. “I spoke about who he is as a person and as a friend and as a human being because a lot of the narrative that they put out there about him and who he is as a person is gross.”
He then added that the accusations leveled at Trump are “positively not true.”
When Remnick brought up Trump’s past friendship with Michael Jackson as an example tied to Trump’s character, White defended him again.
“The president had a very good relationship with Michael Jackson and had Michael Jackson around his kids all the time and defended him when that stuff was going down,” White said.
White was especially firm when the discussion turned directly to accusations of racism. “To call the guy a racist is crazy. He’s not a racist,” White said.
White also tied his defense of Trump to his own personal values, saying he would never knowingly associate with someone he believed held those views.
“If he was that type of person, I became friends with this guy never even imagining that he would be the president of the United States someday,” White said. “And if he was that type of person, I would never associate with that type of person, no matter who he was or who he thinks he is.”
He extended that argument to the “fascist” label as well.
“He’s not a racist. He’s not a fascist,” White said. “He loves this country. And if you’re an American, race, religion, whatever it is, President Trump is on your team. That I guarantee you.”
White did acknowledge that Trump’s communication style has sometimes created problems, particularly on social media.
“Did I wish that back in the day he’d stay off Twitter a little bit more?” White said. “Listen, he’s a tough guy and he’s not afraid to give his opinion.”
