UFC CEO Dana White expressed his outrage about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in an interview on Wednesday.
He said that every American should be upset about the July 13 shooting during his appearance on the “Full Send” podcast.
During a campaign rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, Trump was shot in his right ear by 20-year-old would-be assassin Thomas Crooks.
The shooting also resulted in the death of former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore and wounded two others.
Dana White on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/AtCgIhdnF4
— Full Send Podcast (@fullsendpodcast) August 14, 2024
White stressed the importance of setting aside political animosity and recognizing Trump as a fellow human being.
“You have to take all the hate out and it’s like when you see the stuff after Trump was almost assassinated, right,” he began.
White noted that there were some people “talking s**t” and making “disgusting” comments like “hopefully next time” a potential assassin would succeed.
Dana White says it best:
Trump is the “ultimate American badass of all time”
“It’s undebatable now”
“I have never known a human being like this in my life” pic.twitter.com/AWTDEuw8P7
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) July 16, 2024
He asserted that all Americans “should be f**king pissed and disgusted” if “somebody takes a shot at a sitting or former president of the United States,” no matter which political party they belong to.
“As Americans and as human beings, it’s f**king disgusting,” White said about the vitriol against Trump after the shooting.
“I don’t care whether you like Trump or you don’t like Trump or whatever your deal is, he’s a human being with a family, and he’s an American,” he continued. “He loves this country.”
The assassination attempt was clearly on White’s mind when he spoke to Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fowlkes in a separate interview.
White talked about joining Trump during his fighter-style walk-outs at UFC events, noting that the crowd’s delighted reaction to seeing Trump is “off the charts.”
He said that if President Joe Biden attended, he would treat him “the same way,” but conceded that he “probably wouldn’t” walk out with him.
President Trump walks into #UFC295 with Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock, and Dana White at Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/4STtzqxCzq
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) November 12, 2023
White did point out if Biden, or any other former President came out to see a UFC fight, the organization would “treat them with the same respect” level.
“A former or standing President of the United States shows up at your event, you show them the respect,” he stated.
That’s when White said that he would be just as “f**king disgusted” by an attempted assassination of Biden as he was about the attempt on Trump’s life.
“I’m an American and whoever is the president of the United States is my president,” he said firmly. “You don’t hear me running around yelling, that guy’s not my president.”
“Whoever is the standing or former President of the United States is my president,” the UFC CEO elaborated. “And they would be treated with the same respect.”
Mike Tyson, Kid Rock, Donald Trump and Dana White at UFC 287 😂 pic.twitter.com/iyRVMbNKMg
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) April 9, 2023
Despite endorsing Trump at the latest Republican National Convention, White said that he is not “very political.”
“As far as the talking about politics, everybody knows my longtime friendship and history with Donald Trump,” he told Fowlkes.
“Otherwise, you don’t really see me out there being very political or trying to jump on any of these political shows.”
White noted that when he does do interviews on political shows, he speaks to everybody, not just conservative networks.
“I’m talking to everybody, because when you look at all the bulls*** right now that’s involved in politics, I don’t care what side you’re on. We’re all Americans,” he continued.
White said that as Americans, we all want the same things: To make a good living, to have a house and a care, to take care of our families, and to “feel safe in our hometowns.”
“No matter what walk of life you’re from what you want, we all want the same things,'” he explained.
“And what I basically try to say is, cut all the bulls*** out. We’re all Americans. I don’t tell anybody how to vote. I don’t tell anybody how to think.”
White pointed out that when he speaks about Trump he just tells people “who he really is and what type of a person he really is, and what type of people his family are.”
It’s not a sentiment he has for Vice President Kamala Harris, who he has never met.
“I’m sure she’s a nice person, she’s not fit to run the country, she’s not, she’s just not, it’s just a fact,” White commented.
He wrapped up the interview by emphasizing his non-partisan approach, saying, “I don’t judge people by their politics, and I don’t play any of those p**** games that people play with politics. I treat everybody with respect.”
Watch the full Yahoo! Sports interview here: