Meta is once again signaling its closeness to President-elect Donald Trump by appointing Trump ally and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White to its Board of Directors. The appointment comes a week after the company named a former Republican political staffer as its head of policy and less than a month after it donated $1 million to the president-elect’s inauguration fund.
Zuckerberg praised White for his success in growing UFC, saying, “I’ve admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”
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UFC has held more than 300 live events, and Forbes estimates the promoter’s value to be over $11 billion.
During a speech at last year’s Republican National Convention in support of Trump, White said, “I know America needs a strong leader, and the world needs a strong America. I know Donald J. Trump is the best choice for President of the United States.”
However, White is not without controversy. In 2023, TMZ released a video of a physical altercation between him and his wife. White apologized after the video emerged, saying, “There’s never ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman.”
Meta appointed two other business executives to its board alongside White — John Elkann, CEO of the Italian company Exor, and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst.
LAUREN TAYLOR: Meta is taking its latest step signaling a closeness to President-elect Donald Trump… appointing Trump ally and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White to its Board of Directors.
It comes a week after the company appointed a former Republican political staffer as its head of policy, and less than a month after the company donated $1 million to President-elect Trump’s inauguration fund.
Zuckerberg praised White for his success in growing UFC and said, “I’ve admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”
UFC has held more than 300 live events and Forbes estimates the promotion’s value at over $11 billion.
White spoke in support of President-elect Trump at last year’s Republican National Convention.
Dana White, President and CEO, UFC: I know America needs a strong leader, and the world needs a strong America. I know Donald J. Trump is the best choice for President of the United States.
LAUREN TAYLOR: But White is a controversial figure, with TMZ releasing video of White in a domestic dispute with his wife.
White apologized after the video emerged, saying there is never an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman.
Meta appointed two other business executives to its board alongside White — John Elkann, CEO of the Italian company Exor, and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst.
For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.
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