Zac Brown is defending his decision to perform at the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House in Washington, D.C. The country star will sing the national anthem ahead of the scheduled fights. Brown was met with backlash online for associating himself with Trump’s White House, but he said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that his decision to sing at the event has everything to do with “patriotism” and nothing to do with “politics.”
“Man, I’m there for the troops, man. I’m there to honor America,” Brown said, noting that “8,000 active service members” will be in attendance at the event. “This is patriotism, not politics for me. I mean, fuck all the division. I don’t believe in that. I love this country. I love all the people that have sacrificed so that I can live my American dream and that everyone that lives here gets a chance to do that if they work hard and make the right decisions. So it doesn’t have a place in politics for me.”
Brown added that he’s also a huge fan of the UFC, calling it his “favorite sport” and adding: “I’m honored that Dana [White’s] given me the opportunity to do this. We’re going to be playing after the weigh-ins for the concert on Saturday and then getting to do the anthem for this with the Marine Band is going to be sick.”
“I’m so excited for this weekend,” Brown concluded. “And it’s history, man, getting to be part of American history, man. Having the first sporting event that’s on the lawn of the White House. I mean, it’s an honor.”
The UFC event at the White House is set for June 14 and will feature a fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, plus another between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. The event will stream live on Paramount+.
Watch Brown’s full interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” in the video below.