UFC head Dana White has sparked controversy by claiming President Donald Trump cannot be racist because of his friendship with the late Michael Jackson. In a podcast interview published on May 22 with The New Yorker editor David Remnick, White, a longtime Trump loyalist, referenced the president's relationship with the pop icon to counter accusations of racism.
White's Argument
White stated, “These things that [say] he’s a racist and he’s a Nazi and he’s this and that — I mean, Donald Trump, all this stuff’s coming out now. You know, the ‘Michael’ movie just came out, and you see all these videos now popping up of Trump defending Michael Jackson and the type of person that he was, and that Michael Jackson was around his children and around his family a lot.”
Remnick's Response
Remnick appeared taken aback, raising his hands and replying, “But wait a minute, Dana. Michael Jackson — as talented as he was, as brilliant as he was — was a deeply, deeply flawed human being, to say the least. And was abusive [from] everything we know about him.” White acknowledged Jackson's flaws but questioned the abuse allegations. Remnick clarified, “To kids, yes. It’s terrible,” referencing the multiple child sexual abuse allegations Jackson faced.
Jackson denied the accusations and was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial. He maintained his innocence until his death in 2009. White responded, “I don’t know if that’s true, but I can tell you the president had a very good relationship with Michael Jackson and had Michael Jackson around his kids all the time. And you know, [Trump] defended him when that stuff was going down. So to call the guy a racist is crazy. He’s not a racist.”
Further Debate
Remnick pressed White on Trump's controversial video depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes earlier this year, asking if it gave him “the willies.” White argued, “But that doesn’t give you pause, Dana?” Remnick pressed. “If he was that type of person, I never would associate with that type of a person, no matter who he was,” White said. When Remnick countered, “But if he does that, how is he not that kind of person?” White doubled down, insisting, “he’s not.”
Earlier in the episode, White criticized the “gross” narrative Democrats have pushed against Trump, calling it “absolutely, positively not true.” Remnick pushed back, noting the negative rhetoric didn't come “from outer space.” White responded, “Oh, it does. It comes from politics. That’s where it comes from.” Remnick then asked, “Doesn’t it come from some of his rhetoric and some of his way of treating people and talking about people?” White said, “No, I think that, listen, did I wish that back in the day, he’d stay off Twitter a little bit more and things like, listen, he’s a tough guy, and he’s not afraid to give his opinion.”
