Before signing a memorandum of understanding with the UFC to form a public-private partnership, Rubio spoke to a gathered crowd at the White House about why President Donald Trump’s administration is so enthusiastic about the sport. His off-the-cuff speech became a surprising testimony about social alienation in the modern age.“We are so divided by so many different things,” Rubio said. “We get our news from different places, we follow different accounts online, we do everything separate from one another in this country — and I would say increasingly around the world — we are so polarized.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, is joined by UFC President and CEO Dana White, right, for a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony at the State Department, Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
He continued: “There are only a handful of things that bring people together in one place at one time, united by their interest in one thing. We need more of those, we need more of those forms and those settings in which we can bring people together to enjoy something together and find something in common.”
The secretary’s observations are not without basis.
A report in March from German polling firm Statista found that “political polarization” in the United States is “particularly strong,” with an inordinate number of citizens identifying as “far-left” or “far-right.”
