Dana White expressed support for Elon Musk's stance, endorsing Musk's suggestion that advertisers should chart their own course if dissatisfied with his perspectives.
The owner of X, previously recognized as Twitter, stirred controversy by seemingly endorsing an anti-Semitic tweet. In reaction, Musk apologized for his actions and subsequently visited Israel. Nevertheless, the billionaire faced criticism for his initial tweet, amid concerns that advertisers might withdraw and boycott the platform. Musk unequivocally asserted his position, vociferously advising sponsors discontented with his views to depart.
“If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f*** yourself. Go f*** yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is,” Musk stated
White has consistently voiced his firm stance on refusing to succumb to sponsors pressuring him to retract his opinions. The UFC CEO recounted an incident where a sponsor insisted on removing content from his social media that supported Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. White, who had spoken at the Republican National Convention in 2016 at Trump's request, faced backlash for this association. Furthermore, in response to Peloton advising comedian Theo Von to delete an interview with Robert Kennedy Jr., White took decisive action by removing all Peloton bikes from the UFC Institute.
“So Peloton, what do they sell f****** stationary bikes? Peloton sells stationary bikes and they’ve got a problem with Robert f****** Kennedy? F*** you, Peloton. Who the f*** are they? Are you f****** kidding me? F****** Peloton calling and b****** about Robert Kennedy. Let’s see Barry McCarthy. Oh f****** Barry McCarthy looks like that guy, 100 percent. He looks like a douchebag. Do we have Pelotons in the gym? Are those Pelotons? We’re getting rid of them,” White said
That is why White understood Musk’s frustrations.
“There’s more people than just me and Elon now that feel that way. It’s like, just because you sponsor us doesn’t mean you run this business, and you’re definitely not telling me what to do. That’s a fact. That’s never going to happen, ever,” White stated