Politics

Jared and Ivanka Convinced Joe Rogan to Have Trump on His Podcast, Says Dana White

BRO IN THE FAMILY

UFC CEO Dana White also revealed in an interview that the president-elect “hates FaceTime.”

Jared Kushner and the daughters of President-elect Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump, stand behind Trump during the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024.
Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast after the Republican’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, persuaded the leading manosphere figure to invite him over a private dinner.

That’s according to one of Trump’s best friends, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, who revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that he spent years lobbying the popular podcaster to join the MAGA movement.

“I’ve been working on Rogan for years,” he said. “I knew that if I could get him and Trump together that they would hit it off.”

White told the magazine that the podcaster resisted his entreaties to enter the political fray but that the UFC boss had a breakthrough after he asked Rogan to attend a private dinner with Kushner and Ivanka.

He did not specify the date of the dinner, but Trump appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience on Oct. 26. Rogan went on to endorse Trump the day before he won the 2024 election.

While Trump’s other children and their partners—especially Donald Jr., Eric, and Lara—took on heavy workloads as campaign surrogates, Kushner and Ivanka kept a low profile during the 2024 race.

Both served as a senior White House advisers during the first Trump administration but are not expected to take official roles during Trump’s second term in office.

Kushner, however, has emerged as a behind-the-scenes adviser since Trump was elected, offering feedback to his transition team on some appointments, especially on international affairs.

Ivanka, too, is expected to provide informal counsel when her dad retakes office.

The president-elect said last month that Kushner’s father, Charles, will be his ambassador to France.

White, meanwhile, described himself as a “middleman” in the MAGA networking sphere, noting that he and Trump dine with and phone each other frequently but that the president-elect “hates FaceTime.”

“I’m very close to Rogan and loyal to Rogan, and Rogan is very close and loyal to me,” White said. In addition to his podcast and television hosting gigs and stand-up comedy, Rogan has been a UFC commentator for more than two decades.

“And then I’m very close to Trump and very loyal to Trump, and Trump is loyal to me,” White added, noting the president-elect was one of the first businessmen to see promise in the nascent mixed-martial arts company, welcoming UFC events at his venues since the 2000s.

“We’re all connected by this UFC thing,” he said.

Last week, White was appointed to Meta’s board by tech bro, UFC fan, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg, one of several Silicon Valley executives who has moved to cozy up to Trump in advance of his second term.

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