Dana White and the Trump administration have concocted a UFC card this June that figures to be one of the most unusual sports spectacles of all time. And there is no host better suited to get in on that particular sort of action than Pat McAfee.
During an interview with White on Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the host revealed a personal conversation with President Donald Trump during the College Football Playoff title game earlier this week. While broadcasting the game on his Field Pass alt-cast, McAfee received an invite from the president to visit him in his suite.
“There was a lot going on in there, and I was invited up to the suite at halftime of the game,” McAfee said. “I’m literally calling the game from the field, so we get a text from Secret Service.”
Secret Service cleared a path for McAfee to quickly get upstairs at halftime, at which point McAfee got some face time with the president after hosting him for an interview last Veterans Day.
“He stands up, and I go, ‘Mr. President, thanks so much for coming on the show. We’re obviously very grateful and it was huge,'” McAfee recalled on his show Thursday. “Then I started talking about the White House fight, and I said to him, ‘We’d love to be able to do the show from White House for the fight.'”
“The President gave you the thumbs up to cover the UFC event at the White House” ~ @danawhite
YES HE DID #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/dGkxl0uDjS
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 22, 2026
In McAfee and White’s telling, the president eagerly approved of the idea, setting McAfee up to broadcast live from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in less than five months’ time. The June 14 card is slated to be part of the America 250 festivities celebrating the quarter-millennium anniversary of the country, before the FIFA World Cup sets down upon the country.
White said he will start crafting the card this month, and will be planning for McAfee to be there. The main event is supposed to feature Connor McGregor in his first UFC match since 2021.
Despite going to great lengths to profess the celebratory, unifying spirit he tries to bring to his show, McAfee appears eager to participate in what is likely to be a fiercely pro-Trump, heavily politicized night of fights:
“America’s 250 years old. That’s a long time being a country, and not often sports with White House happens, except when championship teams go there. I obviously didn’t get a chance to do that.”
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.