A grave memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk turned into an upbeat viral moment when UFC chief Dana White and President Donald Trump were caught laughing during the service.

During the event at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Trump Jr.’s impression of his father was recorded on camera. The footage quickly spread online of Donald Jr. speaking about his longtime friend, in which he forewarned that his brand of humor was his way of coping with grief.

“Anyone who’s seen me on social media knows I’m far more likely to crack a joke or get myself in trouble for posting some grossly inappropriate memes than I am to shed a tear,” he told mourners. He then pointed at his father and slipped into character: ‘You know, Don, you’re getting a little aggressive on social media, Don, relax.'” The impersonation was accepted in a much more positive manner than the ones portrayed on Saturday Night Live. 

The crowd applauded as Trump leaned back in his chair and clapped, and White, seated beside him, broke into laughter. For White, the appearance alongside Trump added to a relationship that has spanned over two decades and now stretches into the heart of Washington, D.C.

White and Trump have worked closely recently to finalize plans for the UFC’s fight card at the South Lawn of the White House. Trump first teased the event at a July 2025 rally in Iowa, while White later confirmed it with renderings that showed a 15,000-pound octagon framed by the White House on one side and the Washington Monument on the other.

“My vision is we literally take over Washington, D.C. that week,” White said in an interview. “We’re going to do the weigh-ins there, the expo, and the bands playing all day. You’ll have tens of thousands of people watching from the lawn and see the White House behind the cage. It’s going to be insane.”

White highlighted that around 5,000 fans would be seated on the South Lawn, while as many as 85,000 more would be able to gather nearby, with massive screens set up across the National Mall. “We’re going to have a stage where music plays all day, people bringing blankets, hanging out. This is not just a fight card, it’s a total Washington takeover,” he added.

The UFC’s alliance with Trump traces back to the early 2000s, when Trump’s Atlantic City venues hosted UFC 30 and UFC 31 during the promotion’s struggling years. That partnership gave the UFC credibility and venues when mainstream sports properties turned away.

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White never forgot it, becoming one of Trump’s loudest backers during his presidential campaigns and even donating $1 million to support his 2020 reelection. Trump has since repaid that loyalty by attending UFC events, where his entrances are met with loud reactions from fans who see him as part of the UFC culture.