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Zac Brown Defends White House UFC Performance: "This Is Patriotism, Not Politics for Me"

Zac Brown defended his decision to sing the national anthem at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, stating his performance is about "patriotism, not politics," amidst online backlash for associating with Trump.

Variety Music·Jun 11, 2026·via Variety Music

Zac Brown Defends White House UFC Performance: "This Is Patriotism, Not Politics for Me"

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Jun 11, 2026 12:14pm PT

Zac Brown Defends Performing at UFC Fight at Trump’s White House: ‘This Is Patriotism, Not Politics for Me. F— All The Division’

By Zack Sharf

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Zack Sharf

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ZSharf

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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.”