Joe Rogan said Donald Trump gave him an unexpected response after he raised concerns about a possible terror attack while attending the UFC’s White House fight night earlier this month.
The event, officially billed as UFC Freedom 250, took place on June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. It was scheduled to coincide with Flag Day and Trump’s 80th birthday, and was part of the wider lead-up to the United States’ 250th anniversary.
In the headline bout, Ilia Topuria defeated Justin Gaethje to unify the lightweight title, while the card also featured other high-profile matchups on a night that drew enormous attention inside and outside the sport.
The crowd included several high-profile attendees, among them Trump’s youngest son, Barron, who drew attention with a new look.
Rogan, who was there in his role as a UFC commentator and emcee, later spoke about an exchange he had with Trump during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show.
“I said to Trump, ‘I hope we don’t die in a terrorist attack.’ He goes, ‘We gotta go somehow,’” Rogan said. “I go, ‘What the f***, dude?’”
During the same podcast, MMA trainer Trevor Wittman admitted he felt uneasy about being at the arena, which hosted around 4,000 spectators.
“I was honestly really nervous, Joe,” he said.
“I was like, ‘Dude, there’s like, just again, being around everybody and something could happen.”
Gaethje, however, said he viewed the situation very differently.
“I was like, ‘F**k it. If I get taken out in the middle of the cage, how f*****g legendary would that be?’”
Days after the fight, the Justice Department announced that five men had been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged plot to attack the event and kill government officials and other attendees. Prosecutors said investigators had disrupted the plan before the event took place, after learning of a potential threat on June 10.
According to court filings, the suspects allegedly discussed using explosive-laden drones and firing on fleeing spectators, and later arrests brought the total number of people facing federal charges in the case to seven.
Despite those concerns, Rogan said he came away hugely impressed by the night overall.
“It was one of the greatest events that any sporting event has ever put on,” he said, even going as far as to say: “I mean, maybe the greatest sporting event in the history of the world … I’m so happy I went. I’m so happy I was there to see it live. It was a real honor.”