In 2001, the stars aligned for Donald Trump and Dana White to first cross paths. The UFC, still in its infancy, was struggling to find its footing, while White was trying to make a name for himself in the cutthroat world of mixed martial arts. Enter Trump, a real estate mogul with a flair for the dramatic and an uncanny ability to spot potential where others saw none. As fate had it, Trump owned several casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hosting UFC 30 and 31 at his lavish Trump Taj Mahal in 2001, Trump provided a platform for White’s budding empire to thrive. “He saw it, he got it,” White once recounted of Trump’s commitment, according to MMAWeekly.com. “He got there for the first fight of the night and stayed there until the last fight. He did it both times that we were there.”
As the UFC gained traction and popularity, Trump and White’s relationship deepened beyond business interests. Spotted ringside at numerous bouts, Trump graced 2019’s UFC 244 while still in office — an unprecedented move by a POTUS. He continued supporting White after leaving the White House, attending 2021’s UFC 264 and 2023’s UFC 290. As White told reporters in April 2023, the Trumpster “calls me twice a month and he will talk to me for an hour about fights that have happened since the last time that we talked.” Trump even reportedly knows the entire UFC roster and who fought who last.
