WHOA: UFC fighter speaks out AGAINST Trump

For the UFC, I think it's great. It's. It's beyond great. It's literally the. perfect scenario. But as far as the go. I'm an uh I'm an uh. economics major. I love studying. politics. On the political side of. things, not the UFC's business. That is. Of course they're going to say yes to. it. But what I think personally is that. our government is desecrating. uh its role in society by entertaining. sports. Um our government is to protect. and serve the people and uh really.

should be as minimal as possible. And. when you're when you're doing all of. this stuff, hosting sportings events, um it's really outside of what the goal. of the government was intended to be. because our tax dollars and resources. are funding this operation. And like I. said, I'm not criticizing the UFC. I. love Dana. I love Hunter. I love Shawn, Mick. I love all of them. And it's a. it's an amazing thing. It's a. once-in-a-lifetime thing. But the. government should never be hosting.

sporting events because uh there's more. room for corruption and we already have. a corrupted government. And so that's my. thoughts on it is that the government is. supposed to protect us, not entertain. us. >> That was UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell. speaking common sense about today's UFC. fight at the White House. And look, I've. said this before and I'll say it again, I'm not against the UFC. I was a. wrestler for a decade. I love the sport. I love combat sports. And I think. nothing builds character and discipline. quite like contending with the physical.

and mental and emotional aspects of. those sports. From cutting weight to the. brutal one-on-one battle. My past in. that sport probably contributed more to. my work ethic today than anything else. because frankly, once you can do that, everything else seems easy by. comparison. Which is to say, again, this. is not a knock on the UFC or MMA, mixed. martial arts more broadly. But it is a. knock on the US government spending its. time, its resources, its money on. hosting bloodsports for the president's. taxpayer-funded birthday party. Like,

what are we doing here? We've got a. country where Americans are hurting, and. Trump knows that because that is the. exact issue he exploited on the campaign. trail for votes. He talked about. groceries and rent and housing and the. price of an egg. That's how tuned in he. was to high cost and everyday problems. He was speaking out about the price of. eggs. This guy literally claimed that. his agenda would be America first. And. yet, the moment he took power, he. completely shedded his populist skin and. became who he really is, a billionaire.

autocrat looking to consolidate more. power, wealth, attention, and influence. onto himself. And so, he didn't lower. costs. He raised them by launching a. trade war that he refused to back down. from because doing so would be a hit to. his ego. He didn't protect healthcare. He cut it because he needed some funding. to offset his tax cuts that. disproportionately helped millionaires. and billionaires like him. He didn't. release the Epstein files. He moved. mountains to hide them, suppress them, because he wanted to protect himself and. his association with Jeffrey Epstein. He.

didn't lower inflation. He sent it. soaring 33% higher than when Joe Biden. left office. He didn't keep gas prices. down. He caused them to skyrocket by. launching a war in the Middle East that. he swore he'd avoid. On every single. issue, one by one, he broadcast that he. would govern in stark contrast to how he. campaigns. Because how he campaigned was. just a scam to get the gullible rubes to. give them their votes. He never intended. to actually keep any of his promises, and he's putting as much on full display. right now.

And yet, here, even UFC fighters. themselves, the people who have every. interest in the world to cheer on this. event, are coming out and saying, "What. are we doing? Why is the US government. focused on this instead of, oh, I don't. know, governing?" As Bryce Mitchell. says, "The government is supposed to. protect us, not entertain us." And he's. right. And we're not being protected. Too many Americans are without food, without healthcare, without housing, without a job. That's not protecting. Americans, that is leaving them out in.

the cold to fend for themselves. And. these problems have only gotten worse. under Trump's administration. Just a. quick note here to say that if you. appreciate my work, which is and always. will be 100% free, a small ask is if you. could please pre-order my new book The. Day After, which explores how Democrats. must finally wield power if they're. fortunate enough to get it back. I'll. also be on tour in DC, New York, and LA. mid-July. You can grab tickets to the. tour and you can pre-order the book at. the same link, which I'll put on the. screen and in the post description of. this video. You can also find them at.

briantylercohen.com/book. Again, I'll never paywall a single piece. of content, but this is the one time. that I'll ask for some support for a. book that I really think meets this. moment. Thanks so much. And look, I. don't exactly agree 100% with the idea. that the government shouldn't get. involved in sports. I tend to think that. sports are very political, inherently. political. For example, at the 1936. Berlin Olympics, the Nazis used the. global stage that they got from hosting. the Olympics to promote propaganda for. Aryan supremacy and present Germany as.

some peaceful, tolerance country. But. the games became a powerful symbol of. resistance against Nazi ideology, especially as one black athlete, American Jesse Owens, won four gold. medals, which directly contradicted. claims of white racial superiority. Sports are absolutely political, beautifully political. But the. difference is that sports have been used. to push back against dangerous. ideologies, to promote diversity and. inclusion, to mend fences and heal. international disputes. But in this. instance, today, it's just one.

self-important despot using the UFC as. his entertainment on his birthday. There's no big lesson to learn here, no. historical significance, no fight to. bend the arc of history toward justice. Trump just wants his entertainment. So. he built a ring and he's going to. struggle to stay awake so that he can. clap like a seal as the plebs fight each. other in front of him. And let's be clear, just as UFC fighters. themselves can see that, so can. Americans. Here's the approval of this. thing across the country. >> Yeah, let's just say this much. They do.

not like it. They don't like it. I like. you Omar, but Americans don't find this. thing to be appropriate. Take a here. Take a look here. UFC White House fights. are appropriate. Just 16% just 16%. overall and among Republicans, even. among Republicans, you know that. die-hard base Republican Party with. Trump through thick and thin, just 31%. of Republicans his approval rating. amongst Republicans overall as you know, usually hovers a little bit north of. 80%. So we're talking 50 points lower. here. And you know, this overall, you. know, being 16%, you know, what is it.

like 28% of Americans, you know, believe. in telepathy? So this is even below. that. >> Does this fall into a broader pattern. with the White House in voters' minds? >> Yeah, I think this is the big problem. here Omar, which is you know, Americans. just don't think that Donald Trump and. this White House is in touch with them. because you know, they put on stuff like. that that Americans don't really care. about. Take a look here. Say the White. House is out of touch with people like. you. 60% overall, we're talking about. three in five Americans. And look among.

independents, 80% of independents say. that the White House is out of touch. with people like them. So all of a. sudden you have a White House that is. putting on potentially putting on events. such as this UFC fights and you know, Americans' top issue is inflation and. what's Trump's net approval rating on. that? Like minus 50? And you go to. yourself, okay, appropriate? No on the. UFC fights and then you put it together. with what they actually care about and. no wonder that the American people say. 60% say the White House is out of touch. with people like them and 80% of.

independents. >> I mean, it's a big push. Why do you. think Trump loves the UFC so much? >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, you know, we've. seen Donald Trump go to these UFC fights. before, right? We see that there may be. a UFC fights, you know, on the White. House lawn come this weekend. And you. know, it's because the UFC and MMA is a. safe space. It is a safe space. It's a. nice place. It's warm and lovely for the. President of the United States. Party. Party ID League among fans of MMA. Look. at this. Republicans hold the lead among. MMA fans. Look at that. Plus 14 versus.

soccer. If he goes to World Cup, I don't. think that's going to be friendly. territory for for the President. Look at. that. Democrats hold the Party ID lead. there a plus 12. And we know that Donald. Trump was booed at Garden. Look at that. Democrats hold a 28-point lead on fans. of the NBA. >> So look, I get that Trump needs. attention the way the rest of us need. air to breathe, but if you want to watch. human cockfighting by the UFC, the US. government, the White House grounds are. not a reality show. No matter how many. reality TV stars you staff it with, no. matter how many events you host, no.

matter how many crazy news stories you. try to break to garner eyeballs. It. should be about helping people. That's. it. But when you've got a megalomaniacal. narcissist in office who views his power. as limitless, the priority goes from. helping Americans to enriching himself. Trump is in it for one person and one. person alone, and it's not a single one. of us. Hopefully today's event on the. South Lawn of the White House will. finally drive that point home to the. remaining 16% of of Americans who still. can't see it. >> [music].

>> Before you go, I'm very excited to. announce that I've written a new book. titled The Day After: How to Wield Power. in a Post-Trump World. The book explores. what is, in my opinion, the single most. important theme that we're dealing with. in politics today and moving forward: power. Specifically, how Republicans. abuse it and how Democrats refuse to. wield it. This book explains how we got. here and more importantly, how we should. finally wield power if we're fortunate. enough to get it back. It is the. blueprint for progressives who want to. do far more than just restore the status.

quo. Please pre-order today by visiting. the link in the episode description or. go to briantylercohen.com/book. You can grab yours from any of the major. retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. or find an independent bookstore closest. to you. That's also listed on that. website. Thanks so much for supporting. independent media.