Leaked document show the Endeavor co-CEO was vetted for an unspecified role by Trump’s transition team.
Over the past couple of years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has not shied away from associating with U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration. UFC President Dana White delivered a passionate speech for Trump at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and remains a staunch supporter of the incumbent president; former UFC interim champion Colby Covington posed with Trump in the Oval Office following his title victory in 2018, while the UFC produced a propaganda puff piece on Trump for their documentary series celebrating the promotion’s 25th anniversary. However, it now appears that Endeavor co-CEO Ari Emanuel, who owns the UFC, was also vetted for a role in Trump’s administration during the transition in November 2016.
Last week, Emanuel’s vetting dossier was revealed to be part of a collection of approximately 100 transition documents that were leaked to political news site Axios. The vetting document, which is readily available online, lists a variety of media articles detailing the relationship between Trump and Emaneul, as well as his history of financial support for Democratic candidates, and his voting history, among other things.
The leaked document sheds light on the various red flags that Trump’s transition team noted during the vetting process. They labelled Emanuel a Category 5 “Hard Democrat,” noted his support for gun control, and his lack of support for Trump during the presidential election. The dossier also noted a 2002 employee lawsuit that alleged sexual harassment, which was later settled for $2.25 million.
The UFC’s relationship with Trump is not limited to a friendship with White. UFC co-owner Ari Emanuel also has a longstanding relationship with Trump that dates back several years. The Hollywood powerbroker once represented Trump when he was a host on The Apprentice, and Trump even referred to him as a “very good friend of mine”. However, when the Hollywood Reporter questioned whether the agency was interested in re-signing him, Emanuel revealed that he is “not contemplating any of that.” WME later acquired the Miss Universe pageant from Trump, where Ari famously said “He wanted to sell it. ‘Great, we want to buy it.’”
Incidentally, Trump also has a history with Ari Emanuel’s older brother Rahm, Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, who later became the mayor of Chicago. Trump reportedly contributed $50,000 to Emanuel’s mayoral campaign in 2010 in spite of the fact that Emanuel ran as a Democrat.
While it remains unclear the extent of Emanuel’s present-day relationship with Trump, the Endeavor CEO was one of the first people to get a meeting with Trump shortly following the election.
Overall, the leaked dossier offers some interesting insight into how Trump’s transition team vetted potential candidates for position within the administration. It sheds light on Emanuel’s relationship with Trump and whether he would have been a suitable candidate for a job in the White House.